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SHAKESPEARE'S 


HISTORY   OF 


King  Henry  the  Fourth 

Part  II 


EDITED,   WITH   NOTES 

BY 

WILLIAM    J.    ROLFE,   Litt.D. 

FORMERLY   HEAD    MASTER    OF   THE    HIGH    SCHOOL, 
CAMBRIDGE,    MASS. 


ILLUSTRATED 


28651 


NEW  YORK  •  :•  CINCINNATI  •  :■  CHICAGO 

AMERICAN    BOOK    COMPANY 


Copyright,  1880  and  1898,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 

Copyright,  1904,  by 
WILLIAM  J.   ROLFE, 


henry   IV.      PART  II. 
W.   P.    I 


\ 


^9 


y^'Z. 


PREFATORY   NOTE 

This  play,  first  edited  by  me  in  1880,  is  now  thor- 
oughly revised  on  the  same  general  plan  as  T/ie  Mer- 
chant of  Venice  and  the  other  plays  that  have  preceded 
it  in  the  new  series. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction   to   the   Second   Part  of   King   Henry 

THE  Fourth       9 

The  History  of  the  Play 9 

The  Sources  of  the  Plot   .         .         .         .         .         .         .II 

General  Comments  on  the  Play         .         .         ,         .         .II 

King  Henry  the  Fourth.    Part  II 19 

Induction         ....,...,  21 

Act  I 23 

Act  II 45 

Act  III 76 

Act  IV     . 93 

Act  V 128 

Notes 153 

Appendix 259 

Comments  on  Some  of  the  Characters      ....  259 

The  Time-Analysis  of  the  Play 263 

List  of  Characters  in  the  Play 265 

Index  of  Words  and  Phrases  Explained       .        .        .  267 


^^;rrini?"^^bl''1 


Warkworth  Castle 


BOOK  ^^^ 

isco 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  SECOND  PART 
OF    KING    HENRY   THE    FOURTH 

The  History  of  the  Play 

It  is  almost  certain  that  2  Heiuy  IV  was  written  im- 
mediately after  i  Henry  IV,  and  before  the  entry  of  the 
latter  on  the  Stationers'  Registers,  February  25,  1598;^ 
for  that  entry  shows  that  the  name  of  Oldcastle,  originally 
given  to  the  fat  knight  in  both  plays,  had  already  been 
changed  to  Falstaff.  It  was  certainly  written  before 
Ben  Jonson's  Every  Man  out  of  his  Humour,  which  was 
acted  in  1599  ;  for  in  that  play  Justice  Silence  is  alluded 
to  by  name. 

The  earliest  edition  of  the  play  was  a  quarto  printed 

1  As  the  year  did  not  then  end  until  March  25,  the  date  "  February 
25,  1597,"  on  the  Registers  was  of  course  Februairy  25,  1598. 

9 


lo        Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV 

in  1600;  and  in  this  the  prefix  ''Old."  was  accidentally 
retained  before  one  of  the  speeches  of  Falstaff  (i.  2.  113) : 
"  Very  well,  my  lord,  very  well,"  etc.  In  some  copies 
of  the  quarto  the  first  scene  of  act  iii  is  wanting.  The 
error  seems  to  have  been  discovered  after  part  of  the  edi- 
tion had  been  printed,  and  was  rectified  by  inserting  two 
new  leaves.  For  these  the  type  of  some  of  the  preceding 
and  following  leaves  was  used,  so  that  there  are  two  differ- 
ent impressions  of  the  latter  part  of  act  ii  and  the  begin- 
ning of  iii.  2. 

No  other  edition  of  the  play  appears  to  have  been 
issued  before  the  publication  of  the  folio  of  1623,  in 
which  it  was  probably  printed  either  from  a  transcript 
of  the  original  manuscript,  or  from  a  complete  copy  of 
the  quarto  collated  with  such  a  transcript.  "  It  contains 
])assages  of  considerable  length  which  are  not  found  in 
the  quarto.  Some  of  these  are  among  the  finest  in  the 
play,  and  are  too  closely  connected  with  the  context  to 
allow  of  the  supposition  that  they  were  later  additions 
inserted  by  the  author  after  the  publication  of  the  quarto. 
In  the  manuscript  from  which  that  edition  was  printed, 
these  passages  had  been  most  likely  omitted,  or  erased, 
in  order  to  shorten  the  play  for  the  stage."  On  the  other 
hand,  the  quarto  contains  several  passages  which  do  not 
appear  in  the  folio.  Some  of  these  were  probably  struck 
out  by  tiie  author,  and  others  by  the  Master  of  the  Revels. 

The  play  is  inferior  to  i  Henry  IV  in  dramatic  interest, 
and  long  ago  disappeared  from  the  stage.  Furnivall 
remarks:  "All  continuations  do  fall  off,  and  this  is  no 


Introduction  1 1 

exception  to  the  rule.  How  are  Hotspur  and  the  first 
impressions  of  Falstaff  to  be  equalled?  Ev^en  Shallow 
cannot  make  up  for  them.  There  's  a  quieter  tone,  too, 
in  this  Part  II,  though  the  rhetorical  speeches  are  still 
kept  up  by  Northumberland  and  Mowbray.  The  King 
leads,  not  at  the  head  of  his  army,  but  in  his  quiet  prog- 
ress to  the  grave."  Verplanck,  however,  as  will  be  seen 
below,  does  not  entirely  agree  with  this  estimate  of  the 
play. 

The  Sources  of  the  Plot 

As  in  I  Henry  IV,  Shakespeare  took  the  main  inci- 
dents of  his  plot  from  Holinshed's  Chronicles  and  from 
the  old  play  of  T/ie  Famous  Victories  of  Henry  the  Fifth. 
The  history  of  Henry  is  here  continued  from  the  battle 
of  Shrewsbury,  July  21,  1403,  to  his  death  and  the  acces- 
sion of  Henry  V  in  March,  141 3. 

General  Cojlments  on  the  Play 

Verplanck  remarks  :  ^  "  The  play  having  been  written,  as 
the  external  and  internal  evidence  concur  in  showing,  not 
very  long  after  the  first  part,  when  the  author's  mind  was 
filled  with  the  characters,  story,  and  the  spirit  of  that,  the 

1  From  The  Illustrated  Shakespeare,  edited  by  G.  C.  Verplanck  (New- 
York,  1847).  Here,  as  in  the  introduction  to  i  Heiny  IV,  I  make  an 
ex'ception  to  my  rule  in  this  revised  edition  of  omitting  the  extended 
comments  from  other  authors  quoted  in  the  former  edition,  because 
Verplanck's  edition,  having  been  destroj'ed  by  fire  a  few  years  after 
publication,  is  out  of  print  and  not  to  be  found  in  most  of  the  hbraries. 
It  was  the  first  thoroughly  annotated  American  edition  of  Shakespeare, 
and  is  still  one  of  the  best,  whether  American  or  English, 


12         Second   Part  of  King   Henry    IV 

two  together  have  the  unity  of  a  single  drama.  It  is, 
however,  inferior  to  its  predecessor  as  a  work  of  dramatic 
art,  though,  in  my  judgment,  not  at  all  so  as  a  work  of 
genius.  It  is  not  so  perfect  as  the  other  as  an  historical 
tragi-comedy,  as  on  its  tragic  side  it  has  a  less  vivid  and 
sustained  interest,  and  approaches  in  those  scenes  more 
to  the  dramatized  chronicle  ;  in  fact,  adhering  much  more 
rigidly  to  historical  authority,  and  deviating  from  it  very 
little  except  in  compressing  into  connected  continuous 
7  actions  events  really  separated  by  years.  Its  nobler 
characters  have  much  less  of  chivalric  and  romantic 
i  splendour,  and  its  action  less  of  stage  interest  and  effect, 
\  and  its  poetry  far  less  of  kindling  and  exciting  fervour. 
On  this  account  it  has  long  disappeared  as  a  whole  from 
the  stage  ;  but  portions  of  it  are  familiar  even  to  those 
whose  knowledge  of  Shakespeare  is  acquired  only  from 
the  stage,  having  been  interwoven  by  Gibber,  or  some 
other  manufacturer  of  the  '  acted  drama,'  into  the  action 
of  Richard  III.  Other  portions,  like  the  King's  invo- 
cation to  sleep,  the  Archbishop's  meditation  on  the  insta- 
bility of  popular  favour.  Lady  Percy's  lament  for  Hotspur, 
and  the  last  scene  between  the  Prince  and  his  father,  have 
sunk  deep  into  thousands  of  hearts,  and  live  in  the  general] 
memory.  Noj  is  the  entire  graver  dialogue  unworthy  of 
these  gems  with  which  it  is  studded  ;  foj  it  is  through- 
out rich  in  thought,  noble  and  impressive  in  style,  and  the 
characters  it  presents  are  drawn,  if  not  with  the  same  bold 
freedom  and  pointed  invention  as  in  the  first  part,  yet 
with  undiminished  truth  and  discrimination. 


Introduction  13 

"  But  on  the  comic  side  of  the  play  there  is  no  flagging 
either  of  spirit  or  invention.  On  the  contrary,  the  humour, 
if  perhaps  less  hvely  and  sparkling,  is  still  more  rich  and)^^^ 
copious.  It  overflows  on  all  sides.  The  return  of  a  char- 
acter of  comic  invention  in  a  second  part  is  a  hard  test  of 
originality  and  fertility,  which  even  Don  Quixote  and  Gil 
Bias  did  not  stand  without  some  loss  of  the  charm  of  our 
first  acquaintance  with  them.  Falstaff"'s  humour,  as  well 
that  which  he  exhibits  in  his  character  as  that  which  he 
utters,  is  more  copious,  more  luxuriously  mirthful,  and  — 
if  the  phrase  may  be  allowed  —  more  unctuous  than  ever. 
Those  of  his  companions,  whose  acquaintance  we  made  in 
the  first  part,  lose  nothing  of  their  droll  effect ;  and  our 
new  acquaintances.  Shallow,  Slender,  etc.,  are  still  more 
amusing.  The  scenes  in  which  these  last  figure  give 
us  a  delightful  peep  into  the  habits  of  the  rural  gentry 
of  old  England,  and,  as  mere  history,  are  worth  volumes 
of  antiquarian  research.  ^vCi 

"  Both  parts  of  this  drama,  as  well  as  its  prelude,  - 
Richard  II,  and  its  sequel,  Henry  V,  present  a  contin- 
uous historical  chain  of  revolutions,  wars,  conspiracies, 
and  rebellions.  Every  incident  is  connected  with  some 
great  political  movement.  Nothing  can  be  more  pic- 
turesque, more  lifelike,  than  the  manner  in  which  these 
are  put  into  action,  or  more  like  the  very  reality  of  such 
things,  than  the  ruminations,  motives,  conferences,  coun- 
sels, and  contests  of  the  princes  and  chiefs  and  their  fol- 
lowers. Nor  does  the  poet  allow  our  minds  to  rest  on 
the  mere  external  shows  of  the  hurried  and   crowded 


14         Second    Part  of  King   Henry    IV 

scene.  ilc  is  earnest  and  abundant  in  wise  moral 
teaching.  The  instability  of  all  moral  greatness  and  the 
emptiness  of  human  pomp  and  power  —  the  dread  re- 
sponsibility of  that  power  —  the  base  ingratitude  of  the 
great,  and  the  fickleness  of  the  masses  —  the  independ- 
ence of  conscious  rectitude,  —  all  these,  and  other  topics, 
are  enforced  in  verses  that  have  made  them  the  lessons 
of  youthful  instruction  and  household  morality  wherever 
the  language  is  spoken.  Yet  it  is  very  observable  that, 
though  the  facts  and  scenes  from  which  these  ethical 
teachings  arise  are  all  in  some  sort  pohtical,  or  connected 
with  public  transactions,  the  speculation  or  admonition 
is  always  of  a  personal  nature,  the  philosophy  ethical,  not 
political,  without  any  thing  of  those  larger  views  of 
society  as  an  organized  whole,  or  of  the  conflicts  of 
political  principles,  which  may  be  found  in  the  Roman 
dramas  and  elsewhere ;  as,  for  example,  in  the  eloquent 
didactic  dialogue  of  the  strangely  blended  Troilus  and 
Cressida. 

"  This  difference  must  be  ascribed,  I  think,  chiefly  to 
the  different  periods  at  which  these  plays  were  severally 
produced  —  a  circumstance  which  critics  often  overlook 
in  their  speculations  upon  Shakespeare's  opinions,  as  well 
as  in  those  upon  his  taste,  style,  and  knowledge.  The 
plays  last  referred  to  ^  were  written  some  time  after  the 
accession  of  James  I,  when  the  great  parliamentary  and 

1  With  the  exception  of  y«//«j-  Ccssar,  which,  since  Verplanck  wrote, 
has  been  proved  to  have  been  written  before  1601,  and  probably  as  early 
as  1599. 


Introduction  i  c 


J 


national  struggle  against  the  crown  first  commenced  — 
when  the  royal  authority  and  the  rights  of  the  people,  in 
the  republican  sense  of  the  term,  began  to  be  brought 
into  collision  —  when  the  very  principles  of  government 
were  openly  canvassed  ;  when  all  those  elements  of  the 
great  approaching  conflict  of  radically  differing  political 
opinions  were  fermenting  in  the  public  mind,  and  already 
entering  into  the  popular  elections.  Although  parties  had 
not  yet  become  finally  arrayed  in  the  distinct  manner  they 
became  in  the  next  reign,  this  state  of  things  could  not 
but  famiharize  the  mind  of  a  thinking  man,  however  aloof 
from  active  participation  in  party,  to  general  poHtical 
reflection,  and  to  make  literary  and  poetical  references 
to  such  topics,  or  exhibitions  of  such  scenes,  more 
acceptable  to  the  public  taste.  Hence  we  find  in  those 
later  dramas  that  the  author  looks  more  distinctly  upon 
man  as  a  member  of  a  state,  upon  the  various  forms  of 
civil  polity,  and  upon  the  conflicts  of  party  and  revolu- 
tions of  government,  as  influenced  by  political  opinion. 
The  English  historical  dramas,  except  the  last  one  of 
the  series,  Heitry  VIII,  were  all  written  under  the  stern 
and  steady  rule  of  EHzabeth,  and  the  author,  still  young, 
had  grown  up  in  a  state  of  society  where  the  only  question 
of  principle  which  had,  during  the  memory  of  that  genera- 
tion or  their  fathers,  divided  the  nation  was  that  of  reh- 
gious  diff'erence;  their  only  other  notion  of  poHtical  party 
being  that  of  the  conflicts  of  rival  houses,  or  of  personal 
ambition.  It  is  probably  fortunate,  not  less  for  the 
spirited  accuracy  of  historic  delineations  in  these  dramas 


i6         Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV 

than  for  their  dramatic  and  poetic  effect,  that  this  was 
the  case. 

"  Even  when  the  insurrections,  revolutions,  and  contests 
under  the  Plantagenets  really  involved  or  affected  the  prin- 
ciples of  freedom,  and  the  substantial  permanent  rights 
and  happiness  of  the  subject,  they  did  not  (unless  so 
far  as  the  acquisition  of  Magna  Charta  and  the  subse- 
quent appeals  to  it  may  be  exceptions)  take  that  form  ; 
but  were  struggles  for  immediate  and  practical  objects, 
the  redress  of  pressing  grievances,  the  defence  of  char- 
tered rights,  or  the  overthrow  of  an  oppressor.  The 
divisions  and  dissensions,  which,  like  the  Wars  of  the 
Roses,  deluged  England  with  blood,  had  nothing  in  view 
beyond  a  change  of  rulers  or  of  dynasty,  neither  attain- 
ing nor  looking  to,  in  the  result,  any  object  of  a  truly 
public  nature,  and  leaving  nothing  to  the  faithful  chron- 
icler to  record  but  (as  old  Hall  says)  'what  misery, 
what  murder,  and  what  execrable  plagues  this  famous 
region  hath  suffered.' 

"  Into  all  these  conflicts,  calling  forth  high  energies  and 
exhibiting  stirring  scenes  and  a  crowd  of  majestic  per- 
sonages, the  young  dramatist  entered  with  the  very  spirit 
and  sympathies  of  the  times,  naturally  assimilating  his 
mind  to  that  of  the  men  of  those  days,  and  thus  paint- 
ing them  and  their  deeds  as  they  showed  to  their  own 
generation,  not  as  they  now  appear  to  the  philosophical 
student  of  history.  Thus  he  vehemendy  asserts,  in  the 
person  of  Richard  II  and  his  adherents,  the  indefeasible, 
hereditary  right  of  kings;    but  shortly  after  makes  the 


Introduction  17 

successful  usurper,  Bolingbroke,  equally  ready  to  rebuke 
rebellion  and  *  hurly-burly  innovation,'  without  troubling 
himself  to  discuss  the  truth  of  the  doctrine,  or  the  pro- 
priety of  its  application,  in  the  mouth  of  either.  His 
business  was  with  the  passions  and  actions  of  men,  not 
with  the  principles  of  government ;  and  the  Wars  of  the 
Roses  were  more  graphically  and  vividly  described  in  the 
absence  of  any  wish  or  design,  however  indirect  or  remote, 
to  inculcate  political  opinion  or  political  philosophy,  of 
any  sort  or  colour." 


2  HENRY  TV  —  2 


Of. 


KING    HENRY    IV 

PART   11 


DRAMATIS  PERSONS 


Rumour,  the  Presenter. 

KiNc;  Henry  the  Fourth. 

Henky,  Prince  of  Wales,  afterwards  King  Henry  V,    1 

Tho.\i.\s,  Duke  of  Clarence,  I  j^j^  jqjjj^ 

Pkince   Iohn  of  Lancaster,  | 

Pkince  Hl-mi'hrey  of  Gloucester,  J 

Earl  of  Warwick. 

Earl  of  Westmoreland. 

Earl  of  Surrey. 

Gower. 

Harcourt. 

Blunt. 

Lord  Chief-Justice  of  the  King's  Bench. 

A  Servant  of  the  Chief-Justice. 

Earl  of  Northumberland. 

SCROOH,  Archbishop  of  York. 

Lord  Mowbray. 

Lord  Hastings. 

Lord  Bardolph. 

Sir  John  Colevile. 

Travkrs  and  Morton,  retainers  of  Northumberland. 

Sir  John  Falstafp. 

His  Page. 

Bardolph. 

Pistol. 

PoiNS. 

Peto. 


ifL^E';^°E:'!-"-o'Wices. 


Davy,  Servant  to  Shallow. 
.-Mouldy,  Shadow,  Wart,  Feeble,  and  Bullcalf,  recruits. 
Fang  and  Snare,  sheriff's  officers. 

Lady  Northumberland. 

Lady  Percy. 

Mistress  Quickly,  hostess  of  a  tavern  in  Eastcheap. 

Doll  Tearsheet. 

Lords  and  Attendants  ;  Porter,  Drawers,  Beadles,  Grooms,  &c. 

A  Dancer,  speaker  of  the  Epilogue. 

Scene  ;  England. 


-/    :ii^r 


Entrance  Tower  of  Warkworth  Castle 


INDUCTION 

Warkworth.     Before  the  Castle 

Enter  Rumour,  painted  full  of  tongues 

Rumour.    Open  your  ears ;  for  which  of  you  will  stop 
The  vent  of  hearing  when  loud  Rumour  speaks  ? 
I,  from  the  orient  to  the  drooping  west, 
Making  the  wind  my  post-horse,  still  unfold 
The  acts  commenced  on  this  ball  of  earth. 
Upon  my  tongues  continual  slanders  ride, 
The  which  in  every  language  I  pronounce. 
Stuffing  the  ears  of  men  with  false  reports. 
I  speak  of  peace  while  covert  enmity 

21 


2  2    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    [induction 

Under  the  smile  of  safety  wounds  the  world ;  lo 

And  who  but  Biimoiir,  who  but  only  I, 
Make  fearful  musters  and  prepar'd  defence 
Whiles  the  big  year,  swoln  with  some  other  grief. 
Is  thought  with  child  by  the  stern  tyrant  War, 

J.  And  no  such  matter?     Rumour  is  a  pipe 

I   Blown  by  surmises,  jealousies,  conjectures, 

['  And  of  so  easy  and  so  plain  a  stop 

i  That  the  blunt  monster  with  uncounted  heads, 

,  The  still-discordant  wavering  multitude, 
Can  play  upon  it. —  But  what  need  I  thus  20 

My  well-known  body  to  anaixmiize 

Among  my  household?     Why  is  Rumour  here? 
I  run  before  King  Harry's  victory. 
Who  in  a  bloody  field  by  Shrewsbury 
Hath  beaten  down  young  Hotspur  and  his  troops, 
Quenching  the  flame  of  bold  rebellion 
Even  with  the  rebels'  blood.     But  what  mean  I 
To  speak  so  true  at  firstW  my  office  is 
To  noise  abroad  that  Harry  Monmouth  fell 
'  Under  the  wrath  of  noble  Hotspur's  sword,  3° 

And  that  the  king  before  the  Douglas'  rage 
Stoop'd  his  anointed  head  as  low  as  death. 
This  have  I  rumour'd  through  the  peasant  towns 
Between  that  royal  field  of  Shrewsbury 
And  this  worm-eaten  hold  of  ragged  stone, 
Where  Hotspur's  father,  old  Northumberland, 
T.ies  crafty-sick.     The  posts  come  tiring  on, 
And  not  a  man  of  them  brings  other  news 


Scene  ij     Second  Part  of  King   Henry   IV     23 

Than  they  have  learn'd  of  me  ;  from  Rumour's  tongues 
They   bring    smooth    comforts    false,    worse    than    true 
wrongs.  \_Exit. 


ACT  I 

Scene  I.     The  Same 
E titer  Lord  Bardolph 
Lord Bardolph.   Who  keeps  the  gate  here,  ho?  — 
The  Porter  opens  the  gate 

Where  is  the  earl  ? 
Porter.   What  shall  I  say  you  are  ? 
Lord  Betrdolph.  Tell  thou  the  earl 

That  the  Lord  Bardolph  doth  attend  him  here. 

Porter.    His  lordship  is  walk'd  forth  into  the  orchard  ; 
Please  it  your  honour,  knock  but  at  the  gate 
And  he  himself  will  answer. 

Enter  Northumberland 

Lord  Bardolph.  Here  comes  the  earl. 

\_Exit  Porter. 

Northumberland.   What  news.  Lord  Bardolph?  every 
minute  now 
Should  be  the  father  of  some  stratagem. 
The  times  are  wild  ;  contention,  like  a  horse 
Full  of  high  feeding,  madly  hath  broke  loose  10 

And  bears  down  all  before  him. 

Lord  Bardolph.  Noble  earl, 

I  bring  you  certain  news  from  Shrewsbury. 


24    Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV        [Act  i 

Northumberland.   Good,  an  God  will  ! 

Lord  Bardolph.  As  good  as  heart  can  wish. 

The  king  is  almost  wounded  to  the  death ; 
And,  in  the  fortune  of  my  lord  your  son, 
Prince  Harry  slain  outright ;  and  both  the  Blunts 
Kill'd  by  the  hand  of  Douglas  ;  young  Prince  John 
And  Westmoreland  and  Stafford  fled  the  field  ; 
And  Harry  Monmouth's  brawn,  the  hulk  Sir  John, 
Is  prisoner  to  your  son.     O,  such  a  day,  20 

So  fought,  so  follow'd,  and  so  fairly  won, 
Came  not  till  now  to  dignify  the  times 
Since  Caesar's  fortunes  ! 

Northumberland.  How  is  this  deriv'd?  . 

Saw  you  the  field?  came  you  from  Shrewsbury? 

Lord  Bardolph.    I  spake  with  one,  my  lord,  that  came 
from  thence, 
A  gentleman  well  bred  and  of  good  name. 
That  freely  render'd  me  these  news  for  true. 

Northumberland.    Here   comes    my   servant  Travers, 
whom  I  sent 
On  Tuesday  last  to  listen  after  news. 

Enter  Travers 

Lord  Bardolph.  My  lord,  I  over-rode  him  on  the  way. 
And  he  is  furnish'd  with  no  certainties  31 

More  than  he  haply  may  retail  from  me^ 

Northumberland.  Now,  Travers,  what  good  tidings 
comes  with  you? 

Travers.  My  lord,  Sir  John  Umfrevile  turn'd  me  back 


Scene  I]     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV     25 

With  joyful  tidings  and,  being  better  hors'd, 

Outrode  me.     After  him  came  spurring  hard 

A  gentleman,  almost  forspent  with  speed. 

That  stopp'd  by  me  to  breathe  his  bloodied  horse. 

He  ask'd  the  way  to  Chester,  and  of  him 

I  did  demand  what  news  from  Shrewsbury.  40 

He  told  me  that  rebellion  had  bad  luck. 

And  that  young  Harry  Percy's  spur  was  cold. 

With  that,  he  gave  his  able  horse  the  head. 

And  bending  forward  struck  his  armed  heels 

Against  the  panting  sides  of  his  poor  jade 

Up  to  the  rowel-head,  and  starting  so 

He  seem'd  in  running  to  devour  the  way, 

Staying  no  longer  question. 

Northumberland.  Ha  !  —  Again. 

Said  he  young  Harry  Percy's  spur  was  cold? 
Of  Hotspur,  Coldspur?  that  rebellion  50 

Had  met  ill  luck? 

Lord  Bardolph.     My  lord,  I  '11  tell  you  what, 
If  my  young  lord  your  son  have  not  the  day, 
Upon  mine  honour,  for  a  silken  point 
I  '11  give  my  barony  ;  never  talk  of  it. 

Northumberland.    Why   should   that   gentleman    that 
rode  by  Travers 
Give  then  such  instances  of  loss? 

Lord  Bardolph.  Who,  he  ? 

He  was  some  hilding  fellow  that  had  stolen 
The  horse  he  rode  on,  and,  upon  my  life, 
Sjooke  at  a  venture.     Look,  here  comes  more  news. 


26     Second   Part  of  King   Henry   IV        [Act  I 

Entei-  Morton 

Northumberland.   Yea,  this  man's  brow,  like  to  a  title- 
leaf,  60 
Foretells  the  nature  of  a  tragic  volume  ; 
So  looks  the  strand  whereon  the  imperious  flood 
Hath  left  a  witness'd  usurpation. — 
Say,  Morton,  didst  thou  come  from  Shrewsbury? 

Morton.    I  ran  from  Shrewsbury,  my  noble  lord, 
Where  hateful  Death  put  on  his  ugliest  mask 
To  fright  our  party. 

Northiunbcrland.     How  doth  my  son  and  brother? 
Thou  tremblest,  and  the  whiteness  in  thy  cheek 
Is  apter  than  thy  tongue  to  tell  thy  errand. 
I'^ven  such  a  man,  so  faint,  so  spiritless,  70 

So  dull,  so  dead  in  look,  so  woebegone, 
Drew  Priam's  curtain  in  the  dead  of  night, 
And  would  have  told  him  half  his  Troy  was  burnt ; 
But  Priam  found  the  fire  ere  he  his  tongue. 
And  I  my  Percy's  death  ere  thou  report'st  it. 
This  thou  wouldst  say,  'Your  son  did  thus  and  thus. 
Your  brother  thus  ;  so  fought  the  noble  Douglas  ; ' 
Stopping  my  greedy  ear  with  their  bold  deeds 
But  in  the  end,  to  stop  mine  ear  indeed. 
Thou  hast  a  sigh  to  blow  away"  this  praise,  80 

Ending  with  '  Brother,  son,  and  all  are  dead.' 

Morton.    Douglas  is  living,  and  your  brother,  yet ; 
But,  for  my  lord  your  son,  — 

Northumberland.  Why,  he  is  dead. 


Scene  I]     Second   Part  of  King  Henry   IV     27 

See  what  a  ready  tongue  suspicion  hath  ! 

He  that  but  fears  the  thing  he  would  not  know 

Hath  by  instinct  knowledge  from  others'  eyes 

That  what  he  fear'd  is  chanc'd.     Yet  speak,  Morton ; 

Tell  thou  an  earl  his  divination  lies, 

And  I  will  take  it  as  a  sweet  disgrace. 

And  make  thee  rich  for  doing  me  such  wrong.  90 

Morton.    You  are  too  great  to  be  by  me  gainsaid  ; 
Your  spirit  is  too  true,  your  fears  too  certain. 

Northumberland.   Yet,  for  all  this,  say  not  that  Percy  's 
dead. — 
I  see  a  strange  confession  in  thine  eye ; 
Thou  shak'st  thy  head,  and  hold'st  it  fear  or  sin 
To  speak  a  truth.     If  he  be  slain,  say  so. 
The  tongue  offends  not  that  reports  his  death  ; 
And  he  doth  sin  that  doth  belie  the  dead. 
Not  he  which  says  the  dead  is  not  alive. 
Yet  the  first  bringer  of  unwelcome  news  100 

Hath  but  a  losing  office,  and  his  tongue 
Sounds  ever  after  as  a  sullen  bell, 
Remember'd  knoUing  a  departing  friend. 

Lord  Bardolph.    I  cannot  think,  my  lord,  your  son  is 
dead. 

Morton.    I  am  sorry  I  should  force  you  to  believe 
That  which  I  would  to  God  I  had  not  seen ; 
But  these  mine  eyes  saw  him  in  bloody  state, 
Rendering  faint  quittance,  wearied  and  out-breath'd. 
To  Harry  Monmouth,  whose  swift  wrath  beat  down 
The  never-daunted  Percy  to  the  earth,  no 


2  8     Second   Part  of  King  Henry  IV        [Act  I 

From  whence  with  life  he  never  more  sprung  up. 

In  few,  his  death,  whose  spirit  lent  a  fire 

Even  to  the  dullest  peasant  in  his  camp, 

Being  bruited  once,  took  fire  and  heat  away 

Imohi  the  best-temper'd  courage  in  his  troops, 

For  from  his  metal  was  his  party  steel'd, 

Which  once  in  him  abated,  all  the  rest 

Turn'd  on  themselves,  like  dull  and  heavy  lead ; 

And  as  the  thing  that 's  heavy  in  itself 

Upon  enforcement  (lies  with  greatest  speed,  120 

So  did  our  men,  heavy  in  Hotspur's  loss, 

Lend  to  this  weight  such  lightness  with  their  fear 

That  arrows  fled  not  swifter  toward  their  aim 

Than  did  our  soldiers,  aiming  at  their  safety. 

Fly  from  the  field.     Then  was  that  noble  Worcester 

Too  soon  ta'en  prisoner ;  and  that  furious  Scot, 

The  bloody  Douglas,  whose  well-labouring  sword 

Had  three  times  slain  the  appearance  of  the  king, 

Gan  vail  his  stomach  and  did  grace  the  shame 

Of  those  that  turn'd  their  backs,  and  in  his  flight,  130 

Stumbling  in  fear,  was  took.     The  sum  of  all 

Is  that  the  king  hath  won,  and  hath  sent  out 

A  speedy  power  to  encounter  you,  my  lord. 

Under  the  conduct  of  young  Lancaster 

And  Westmoreland.     This  is  the  news  at  full. 

Northumberland.    For  this  I  shall  have  time  enough  to 
mourn. 
\   In  poison  there  is  pbj^ic,  and  these  news. 

Having  been  well,  that  would  have  made  me  sick, 


Scene  I]     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV     29 

Being  sick,  have  in  some  measure  made  me  well ; 

And  as  the  wretch  whose  f^g^er-weaken'd  joints,  140 

Like  strengthless  hinges,  buckle  under  life, 

Impatient  of  his  fit,  breaks  like  a  fire 

Out  of  his  keeper's  arms,  even  so  my  limbs, 

Weaken'd  with  grief,  being  now  enrag'd  with  grief. 

Are   thrice    themselves.      Hence,    therefore,   thou    nice 

crutch  ! 
A  scaly  gauntlet  now  with  joints  of  steel 
Must  glove  this  hand  ;  and  hence,  thou  sickly  quoif ! 
Thou  art  a  guard  too  wanton  for  the  head 
Which  princes,  flesh'd  with  conquest,  aim  to  hit. 
Now  bind  my  brows  with  irons  ;  and  approach  150 

The  ragged'st  hour  that  time  and  spite  dare  bring 
To  frown  upon  the  enrag'd  Northumberland  ! 
Let  heaven  kiss  earth  !  now  let  not  Nature's  hand 
Keep  the  wild  flood  confin'd  !  let  order  die  ! 
And  let  this  world  no  longer  be  a  stage 
To  feed  contention  in  a  fingering  act ; 
But  let  one  spirit  of  the  first-born  Cain 
Reign  in  all  bosoms,  that,  each  heart  being  set 
On  bloody  courses,  the  rude  scene  may  end 
And  darkness  be  the  burier  of  the  dead  !  160 

Travers.   This  strained   passion  doth  you  wrong,  my 
lord. 

Lord  Bardolph.    Sweet  earl,  divorce  not  wisdom  from 
your  honour. 

Morton.   The  lives  of  all  your  loving  complices 
Lean  on  your  health,  the  which,  if  you  give  o'er 


30    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV        [Act  i 

To  stormy  passion,  must  perforce  decay. 

You  cast  the  event  of  war,  my  noble  lord, 

And  summ'd  the  account  of  chance,  before  you  said 

'  Let  us  make  head.'     It  was  your  presurmise 

That,  in  the  dole  of  blows,  your  son  might  drop. 

You  knew  he  walk'd  o'er  perils,  on  an  edge,  170 

More  likely  to  fall  in  than  to  get  o'er ; 

You  were  advis'd  his  flesh  was  capable 

Of  wounds  and  scars,  and  that  his  forward  spirit 

Would  lift  him  where  most  trade  of  danger  rang'd. 

Yet  did  you  say  '  Go  forth  ; '  and  none  of  this. 

Though  strongly  apprehended,  could  restrain 

The  stifif-borne  action.     What  hath  then  befallen. 

Or  what  hath  this  bold  enterprise  brought  forth, 

More  than  that  being  which  was  like  to  be  ? 

Lord  Bardolph.    W^e  all  that  are  engaged  to  this  loss 
Knew  that  we  ventur'd  on  such  dangerous  seas  181 

That  if  we  wrought  our  life  't  was  ten  to  one, 
And  yet  we  ventur'd,  for  the  gain  propos'd 
Chok'd  the  respect  of  likely  peril  fear'd ; 
And  since  we  are  o'erset,  venture  again. 
Come,  we  will  all  put  forth,  body  and  goods. 

Morton.    'T  is  more  than  time,  and,  my  most  noble  lord, 
I  hear  for  certain,  and  do  speak  the  truth, 
The  gentle  Archbishop  of  York  is  up 
With  well-appointed  powers  ;  he  is  a  man  190 

Who  with  a  double  surety  binds  his  followers. 
My  lord  your  son  had  only  but  the  corpse, 
But  shadows  and  the  shows  of  men,  to  fight, 


Scene  II]    Second   Part  of  King  Henry   IV    31 

For  that  same  word,  rebellion,  did  divide 
The  action  of  their  bodies  from  their  souls, 
And  they  did  fight  with  queasiness,  constrain'd. 
As  men  drink  potions,  that  their  weapons  only 
Seem'd  on  our  side  ;  but,  for  their  spirits  and  souls, 
This  word,  rebellion,  it  had  froze  them  up, 
As  fish  are  in  a  pond.     But  now  the  bishop  200 

j  Turns  insurrection  to  religion. 
Suppos'd  sincere  and  holy  in  his  thoughts, 
He  's  foUow'd  both  with  body  and  with  mind, 
And  doth  enlarge  his  rising  with  the  blood 
Of  fair  King  Richard,  scrap'd  from  Pomfret  stones, 
Derives  from  heaven  his  quarrel  and  his  cause, 
Tells  them  he  doth  bestride  a  bleeding  land, 
Gasping  for  hfe  under  great  Bolingbroke  ; 
And  more  and  less  do  flock  to  follow  him. 

Northumberland.    I  knew  of  this  before ;  but,  to  speak 
truth,  210 

This  present  grief  had  wip'd  it  from  my  mind. 
Go  in  with  me,  and  counsel  every  man 
The  aptest  way  for  safety  and  revenge. 
Get  posts  and  letters,  and  make  friends  with  speed  ; 
Never  so  few,  and  never  yet  more  need.  \_Exei/iit. 

Scene  II.     London.     A  Street 
Enter  Falstaff,  with  his  Page  bearing  his  sword  and 

buckler 

Falstaff.    Sirrah,  you  giant,  what  says  the  doctor  to 
my  water  ? 


J 2     Second  Part  of  King   Henry   IV        [Act  i 

Page.  He  said,  sir,  tlie  water  itself  was  a  good  liealthy 
water ;  but,  for  the  party  that  owed  it,  he  might  have 
more  diseases  than  he  knew  for. 

Fahtaff.  Men  of  all  sorts  take  a  pride  to  gird  at 
me  /the  brain  of  this  foolish-compounded  clay,  man, 
is  not  able  to  invent  any  thing  that  tends  to  laughter, 
more  than  I  invent  or  is  invented  on  me.  I  am  not 
only  wittv  in  myself,  but  the  cause  that  wit  is  in  other  lo 
me^Jf  I  do  here  walk  before  thee  like  a  sow  that  hath 
overwhelmed  all  her  litter  but  one.  If  the  prince  put 
thee  into  my  service  for  any  other  reason  than  to  set 
me  off,  why  then  I  have  no  judgment.  Thou  whoreson 
mandrake,  thou  art  fitter  to  be  worn  in  my  cap  than 
to  wait  at  my  heels.  I  was  'never  manned  with  an 
agate  till  now  ;  but  I  will  inset  you  neither  in  gold 
nor  silver,  but  in  vile  apparel,  and  send  you  back  again 
to  your  master,  for  a  jewel,  —  the  juvenal,  the  prince 
your  master,  whose  chin  is  not  yet  fledged.  I  will  20 
sooner  have  a  beard  grow  in  the  palm  of  my  hand 
than  he  shall  get  one  on  his  cheek;  and  yet  he  will 
not  stick  to  say  his  face  is  a  face-royal.  God  may 
finish  it  when  he  will,  't  is  not  a  hair  amiss  yet ;  he 
may  keep  it  still  at  a  face-royal,  for  a  barber  shall 
never  earn  six-pence  out  of  it,  and  yet  he  '11  be 
crowing  as  if  he  had  writ  man  ever  since  his  father 
was  a  bachelor.  He  may  keep  his-  own  grace,  but 
he  's  almost  out  of  mine,  I  can  assure  him.  What  said 
Master  Dombledon  about  the  satin  for  my  short  cloak  30 
and  my  slops? 


Scene  II]    Second   Part  of  King   Henry   IV     33 

Page.  He  said,  sir,  you  should  procure  him  better 
assurance  than  Bardolph.  He  would  not  take  his 
bond  and  yours  ;  he  liked  not  the  security. 

Falstaff.  Let  him  be  damned,  like  the  glutton  ! 
pray  God  his  tongue  be  hotter  !  A  whoreson  Achi- 
tophel  !  a  rascally  yea-forsooth  knave  !  to  bear  a 
gendeman  in  liand,  and  then  stand  upon  security  ! 
The  whoreson  smooth-pates  do  now  wear  nothing  but 
high  shoes,  and  bunches  of  keys  at  their  girdles;  and  ^o 
if  a  man  is  through  with  them  in  honest  taking  up, 
then  they  must  stand  upon  security.  I  had  as  lief 
they  would  put  ratsbane  in  my  mouth  as  offer  to  stop 
it  with  security.  I  looked  a'  should  have  sent  me  two 
and  twenty  yards  of  satin,  as  I  am  a  true  knight,  and 
he  sends  me  security.  Well,  he  may  sleep  in  security, 
for  he  hath  the  horn  of  abundance,  and  the  lightness 
of  his  wife  shines  through  it ;  and  yet  cannot  he  see, 
though  he  have  his  own  lanthorn  to  light  him.  Where  's 
Bardolph  ?  50 

Page.  He  's  gone  into  Smithfield  to  buy  your  wor- 
ship a  horse. 

Falstaff.  I  bought  him  in  Paul's,  and  he  '11  buy  me 
a  horse  in  Smithfield  ;  an  I  could  get  me  but  a  wife  in 
the  stews,  I  were  manned,  horsed,  and  wived. 

Entej'  the  Lord  Chief-Justice  and  Servant 

Page.    Sir,  here  comes  the  nobleman  that  committed 
the  prince  for  striking  him  about  Bardolph. 
Falstaff.   Wait  close  ;  I  will  not  see  him. 

2  HENKY   IV  —  3 


34     Second   Part  of  King   Henry   IV        [Act  I 

Chief-Justice.   What  's  he  that  goes  there? 

Sennint.    Falstaff,  an  't  please  your  lordship.  60 

Chief-Justice.  He  that  was  in  question  for  the  rob- 
bery? 

Servant.  He,  my  lord;  but  he  hath  since  done 
good  service  at  Shrewsbury,  and,  as  I  hear,  is  now 
going  with  some  charge  to  the  Lord  John  of  Lancaster. 

Chief -Justice.   What,  to  York?    Call  him  back  again. 

Sen)ant    Sir  John  Falstaff ! 

Falstaff.    Boy,  tell  him  I  am  deaf. 

Page.   You  must  speak  louder  ;  my  master  is  deaf. 

Chief -Justice.  I  am  sure  he  is,  to  the  hearing  of 
any  thing  good.  —  Go,  pluck  him  by  the  elbow  ;  I 
must  speak  with  him.  72 

Seiva?it.    Sir  John  ! 

Falstaff.  What  !  a  young  knave,  and  begging  !  Is 
there  not  wars?  is  there  not  employment?  doth  not 
the  king  lack  subjects?  do  not  the  rebels  need  sol- 
diers ?  Though  it  be  a  shame  to  be  on  any  side  but 
one,  it  is  worse  shame  to  beg  than  to  be  on  the  worst 
side,  were  it  worse  than  the  name  of  rebellion  can  tell 
how  to  make  it.  ^° 

Soiiaut.   You  mistake  me,  sir. 

Falstaff.  Why,  sir,  did  I  say  you  were  an  honest 
man?  setting  my  knighthood  and  my  soldiership 
aside,  I  had  lied  in  my  throat  if  I  h"ad  said  so. 

Sen>ant.  I  pray  you,  sir,  then  set  your  knighthood 
and  your  soldiership  aside  ;  and  give  me  leave  to  tell 
you,  you  lie  in  your  throat,  if  you  say  I  am  any  other 
than  an  honest  man. 


Scens  iij    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    2S 

Fahtaff.  I  give  thee  leave  to  tell  me  so  !  I  lay 
aside  that  which  grows  to  me  !  If  thou  gettest  any 
leave  of  me,  hang  me ;  if  thou  takest  leave,  thou  wert 
better  be  hanged.     You  hunt  counter  ;  hence!  avaunt  ! 

Servant.    Sir,  my  lord  would  speak  with  you.  93 

Chief-Justice.    Sir  John  Falstaff,  a  word  with  you. 

Fahtaff.  My  good  lord  !  God  give  your  lordship 
good  time  of  day.  I  am  glad  to  see  your  lordship 
abroad ;  I  heard  say  your  lordship  was  sick.  I  hope 
your  lordship  goes  abroad  by  advice.  Your  lordship, 
though  not  clean  past  j'our  youth,  hath  yet  some  smack 
of  age  in  you,  some  rehsh  of  the  saltness  of  time  ;  and 
I  most  humbly  beseech  your  lordship  to  have  a  rever- 
ent care  of  your  health.  102 

Chief-Justice.  Sir  John,  I  sent  for  you  before  your 
expedition  to  Shrewsbury. 

Falstaff.  An  't  please  your  lordship,  I  hear  his  maj- 
esty is  returned  with  some  discomfort  from  Wales. 

Chief  Justice.  I  talk  not  of  his  majesty ;  you  would 
not  come  when  I  sent  for  you. 

Falstaff.  And  I  hear,  moreover,  his  highness  is  fallen 
into  this  same  whoreson  apoplexy.  "o 

Chief-Justice.   Well,  God  mend  him  !     I  pray  you, 
let  me  speak  with  you. 

Falstaff.  This  apoplexy  is,  as  I  take  it,  a  kind  of 
lethargy,  an  't  please  your  lordship  ;  a  kind  of  sleeping 
in  the  blood,  a  whoreson  tingling. 

Chief  Justice.  What  tell  you  me  of  it?  be  it  as  it  is. 

Falstaff.    It  hath  it  original  from  much  grief,  from 


36     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV        [Act  i 

study  and  perturbation  of  the  brain,     I  have  read  the 
cause  of  his  effects  in  (kilen  ;  it  is  a  kind  of  deafness. 

Chief-Justice.  I  think  you  are  fallen  into  the  dis- 
ease ;  for  you  hear  not  what  I  say  to  you.  121 

Falstaff.  Very  well,  my  lord,  very  well;  rather,  an  't 
please  you,  it  is  the  disease  of  not  listening,  the  mal- 
ady of  not  marking,  that  I  am  troubled  withal. 

Chief -Justice.  To  punish  you  by  the  heels  would 
amend  the  attention  of  your  ears,  and  I  care  not  if  I 
do  become  your  physician. 

Falstaff.  I  am  as  poor  as  Job,  my  lord,  but  not  so 
patient.  Your  lordship  may  minister  the  potion  of 
imprisonment  to  me  in  respect  of  poverty ;  but  how  I 
should  be  your  patient  to  follow  your  prescriptions, 
the  wise  may  make  some  dram  of  a  scruple,  or  indeed 
a  scruple  itself.  133 

Chief-Justice.  I  sent  for  you,  when  there  were  mat- 
ters against  you  for  your  life,  to  come  speak  with  me. 

Falstaff.  As  I  was  then  advised  by  my  learned 
counsel  in  the  laws  of  this  land-service,  I  did  not  come. 

Chief-Justice.  Well,  the  truth  is.  Sir  John,  you  live 
in  great  infamy. 

Falstaff.    He  that  buckles  him  in  my  belt  cannot 
live  in  less.  141 

Chief  Justice.  Your  means  are  very  slender,  and 
your  waste  is  great. 

Falstaff.  I  would  it  were  otherwise ;  I  would  my 
means  were  greater,  and  my  waist  slenderer. 

Chief-Justice.   You  have  misled  the  youthful  prince. 


Scene  II]    Second   Part  of  King  Henry   IV     37 

Falstaff.  The  young  prince  hath  misled  me  ;  I  am 
the  fellow  with  the  great  belly,  and  he  my  dog. 

Chief -Justice.  Well,  I  am  loath  to  gall  a  new-healed 
wound.  Your  day's  service  at  Shrewsbui-y  hath  a 
little  gilded  over  your  night's  exploit  on  Gadshill ; 
you  may  thank  the  unquiet  time  for  your  quiet  o'er- 
posting  that  action.  153 

Falstaff.    Vbj  lord  ? 

Chief -Justice.  But  since  all  is  well,  keep  it  so  ;  wake 
not  a  sleeping  wolf. 

Falstaff.   To  wake  a  wolf  is  as  bad  as  to  smell  a  fox. 

Chief -Justice.  What !  you  are  as  a  candle,  the  bet- 
ter part  burnt  out. 

Falstaff.  A  wassail  candle,  my  lord,  all  tallow  \  if 
I  did  say  of  wax,  my  growth  would  approve  the  truth. 

Chief-Justice.  There  is  not  a  white  hair  on  your 
face  but  should  have  his  effect  of  gravity.  163 

Falstaff.    His  effect  of  gravy,  gravy,  gravy. 

Chief  Justice.  You  follow  the  young  prince  up  and 
down,  Uke  his  ill  angel. 

Falstaff.  Not  so,  my  lord,  your  ill  angel  is  light, 
but  I  hope  he  that  looks  upon  me  will  take  me  with- 
out weighing ;  and  yet,  in  some  respects,  I  grant,  I 
cannot  go,  I  cannot  tell.  Virtue  is  of  so  little  regard  170 
in  these  costermonger  times  that  true  valour  is  turned 
bear-herd ;  pregnancy  is  made  a  tapster,  and  hath 
his  quick  wit  wasted  in  giving  reckonings ;  all  the 
other  gifts  appertinent  to  man,  as  the  malice  of  this 
'  age  shapes  them,  are  not  worth  a  gooseberry.   You  that 


38     Second    Part  of  King   Henry    IV        [Act  I 

are  old  consider  not  the  capacities  of  us  that  are 
young,  you  measure  the  heat  of  our  Hvers  with  the 
bitterness  of  your  galls ;  and  we  that  are  in  the  va- 
ward  of  our  youth,  I  must  confess,  are  wags  too.  179 

—^  Chief-Justice.  Do  you  set  down  your  name  in  the 
scroll  of  youth,  that  are  written  down  old  with  all 
the  characters  of  age?  Have  you  not  a  moist  eye?  a 
dry  hand?  a  yellow  cheek?  a  white  beard?  a  decreas- 
ing leg?  an  increasing  belly?  is  not  your  voice  broken? 
your  wind  short?  your  chin  double?  your  wit  single ? 
and  every  part  about  you  blasted  with  antiquity?  and 
will  you  yet  call  yourself  young?  Fie,  fie,  fie.  Sir 
John !  188 

Falstaff.  My  lord,  I  was  born  about  three  of  the 
clock  in  the  afternoon,  with  a  white  head  and  something 
a  round  belly.  For  my  voice,  I  have  lost  it  with  hal- 
looing and  singing  of  anthems.  To  approve  my  youth 
further,  I  will  not ;  the  truth  is,  I  anvonly  old  in  judg- 
ment and  understanding,  and  he  that  will  caper  with  me 
for  a  thousand  marks,  let  him  lend  me  the  money,  and 
have  at  him  !  For  the  box  of  the  ear  that  the  prince 
gave  you,  he  gave  it  like  a  rude  prince,  and  you  took 
it  like  a  sensible  lord.  I  have  checked  him  for  it, 
and  the  young  lion  repents ;  marry,  not  in  ashes  and 
sackcloth,  but  in  new  silk  and  old  sack.  200 

Chief -Justice.  Well,  God  send  the  prince  a  better 
companion  ! 

Falstaff.  God  send  the  companion  a  better  prince  ! 
I  cannot  rid  my  hands  of  him. 


Scene  II]    Second   Part  of  King  Henry  IV    39 

Chief -Justice.  Well,  the  king  hath  severed  you  and 
Prince  Harry  ;  I  hear  you  are  going  with  Lord  John 
of  Lancaster  against  the  Archbishop  and  the  Earl  of 
Northumberland. 

Fahtaff.  Yea ;  I  thank  your  pretty  sweet  wit  for 
it.  But  look  you  pray,  all  you  that  kiss  my  lady  210 
Peace  at  home,  that  our  armies  join  not  in  a  hot  day ; 
for,  by  the  Lord,  I  take  but  two  shirts  out  with  me, 
and  I  mean  not  to  sweat  extraordinarily.  If  it  be  a 
hot  day  and  I  brandish  any  thing  but  a  bottle,  I  would 
I  might  never  spit  white  again.  There  is  not  a  dan- 
gerous action  can  peep  out  his  head  but  I  am  thrust 
upon  it.  Well,  I  cannot  last  ever ;  but  it  was  always 
yet  the  trick  of  our  English  nation,  if  they  have  a 
good  thing,  to  make  it  too  common.  If  ye  will  needs 
say  I  am  an  old  man,  you  should  give  me  rest.  1 220 
would  to  God  my  name  were  not  so  terrible  to  the 
enemy  as  it  is ;  I  were  better  to  be  eaten  to  death 
with  a  rust  than  to  be  scoured  to  nothing  with  per- 
petual motion. 

Chief-Justice.  Well,  be  honest,  be  honest ;  and  God 
bless  your  expedition  ! 

Falstaff.  Will  your  lordship  lend  me  a  thousand 
pound  to  furnish  me  forth? 

Chief -Justice.    Not  a  penny,  not  a  penny ;  you  are 
too  impatient  to  bear  crosses.     Fare  you  well ;  com-  230 
mend  me  to  my  cousin  Westmoreland. 

\_Exeunt  Chief  Justice  and  Seroant. 

Falstaff.    If  I  do,  fillip  me  with  a  three-man  beetle. 


40    Second   Part  of  King  Henry   IV        [Act  i 


Unian  can  no  more  separate  age  and  covetousness  \ 
an  a'  can  part  young  limbs  and  lechery.  —  Boy  !         J 

Page.    Sir?  

Falstaff.    What  money  is  in  my  purse? 
Page.    Seven  groats  and  two  pence. 
^-T"    Falstaff.    I  can  get  no  remedy  against  this  consump- 
L    tion  of  the  purse  ;  borrowing  only  lingers  and  lingers 
\    it  out,  but  the  disease  is  incurable.     Go  bear  this  let-  240 
ter  to  my  Lord  of  Lancaster  ;  this  to  the  prince  ;  this 
to  the  Earl  of  Westmoreland  ;  and  this  to  old  Mistress 
Ursula,  whom  I  have  weekly  sworn  to  marry  since  I 
perceived  the  first  white  hair  on  my  chin.     About  it ; 
you  know  where  to  find  me.  —  ^Exit  Pagc.'\   A  pox  of 
this_gout^!     'T  is  no  matter  if  I  do  halt;  I  have  the 
wars  for  my  colour,  and  my  pension  shall  seem  the 
more  reasonable.     A  good  wit  will  make  use  of  any 
I     thing  ;  I  will  turn  diseases  to  commodity.  \_Exit. 


Scene  IIL      York.     The  Archbishofs  Palace 

Enter  the  Archbishop,  the  Lords  Hastings,  Mowbray, 

and  Bardolph 

Archbishop.   Thus  have  you  heard  our  cause  and  known 
our  means ; 
And,  my  most  noble  friends,  I  pray  you  all. 
Speak  plainly  your  opinions  of  our  hopes. — 
And  first,  lord  marshal,  what  say  you  to  it? 

Mowbray.   I  well  allow  the  occasion  of  our  arms, 


Scene  III]   Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    41 

But  gladly  would  be  better  satisfied 
How  in  our  means  we  should  advance  ourselves 
To  look  with  forehead  bold  and  big  enough 
Upon  the  power  and  puissance  of  the  king. 

Hastings.    Our  present  musters  grow  upon  the  file      10 
To  five  and  twenty  thousand  men  of  choice ; 
And  our  supplies  live  largely  in  the  hope 
Of  great  Northumberland,  whose  bosom  burns 
With  an  incensed  fire  of  injuries. 

Lord  Bardolph.    The  question   then,  Lord   Hastings, 
standeth  thus, — 
Whether  our  present  five  and  twenty  thousand 
May  hold  up  head  without  Northumberland. 

Hastings.    With  him,  we  may. 

Lord  Bardolph.  Yea,  marry,  there's  the  point ; 

But  if  without  him  we  be  thought  too  feeble. 
My  judgment  is,  we  should  not  step  too  far  20 

Till  we  had  his  assistance  by  the  hand, 
For  in  a  theme  so  bloody-fac'd  as  this, 
Conjecture,  expectation,  and  surmise 
Of  aids  incertain  should  not  be  admitted. 

Archbishop.    'T  is  very  true.  Lord  Bardolph,  for  indeed 
It  was  young  Hotspur's  case  at  Shrewsbury. 

Lord  Bardolph.    It  was,  my  lord,  —  who  lin'd  himself 
with  hope, 
Eating  the  air  on  promise  of  supply, 
Flattering  himself  in  project  of  a  power 
Much  smaller  than  the  smallest  of  his  thoughts ;  30 

And  so,  with  great  imagination 


42     Second   Part  of  King   Henry   IV        [Act  I 

Proper  to  madmen,  led  his  powers  to  death 
And  winking  leap'd  into  destruction. 

Hastings.    Ikit,  by  your  leave,  it  never  yet  did  hurt 
To  lay  down  likelihoods  and  forms  of  hope. 

Lord  Bardolph.    Yes,  in  this  present  quality  of  war. 
Indeed  the  instant  action  —  a  cause  on  foot  — 
Lives  so  in  hope  as  in  an  early  spring 
3Ve  see  the  appearing  buds,  which  to  prove  fruit, 
^ope  gives  not  so  much  warrant  as  despair  4c 

ijhat  frosts  will  bite  them.     When  we  mean  to  build, 
We  first  survey  the  plot,  then  draw  the  model 
And  when  we  see  the  figure  of  the  house. 
Then  must  we  rate  the  cost  of  the  erection, 
Which  if  we  find  outweighs  ability, 
^Vhat  do  we  then  but  draw  anew  the  model 
In  fewer  offices,  or  at  least  desist 
To  build  at  all?     Much  more,  in  this  great  work, 
Which  is  almost  to  pluck  a  kingdom  down 
And  set  another  up,  should  we  survey  50 

The  plot  of  situation  and  the  model, 
Consent  upon  a  sure  foundation. 
Question  surveyors,  know  our  own  estate, 
How  able  such  a  work  to  undergo, 
To  weigh  against  his  opposite  ;  or  else 
We  fortify  in  paper  and  in  figures, 
Using  the  names  of  men  instead  of  men, 
Like  one  that  draws  the  model  of  a  house 
Beyond  his  power  to  build  it,  who,  half  through, 
Gives  o'er  and  leaves  his  part-created  cost  60 


Scene  III]   Second   Part  of  King  Henry  IV    43 

A  naked  subject  to  the  weeping  clouds 
And  waste  for  churlish  winter's  tyranny. 

Hastings.    Grant   that   our   hopes,    yet    likely   of  fair 
birth, 
Should  be  stillborn,  and  that  we  now  possess'd 
The  utmost  man  of  expectation, 
I  think  we  are  a  body  strong  enough, 
Even  as  we  are,  to  equal  with  the  king. 

Lord  Bardolph.    What,  is  the  king  but  five  and  twenty 
thousand  ? 

Hastings.    To  us  no  more ;    nay,  not  so  much.  Lord 
Bardolph. 
For  his  divisions,  as  the  times  do  brawl,  70 

Are  in  three  heads  :  one  power  against  the  French, 
And  one  against  Glendower ;  perforce  a  third 
Must  take  up  us.     So  is  the  unfirm  king 
In  three  divided,  and  his  coffers  sound 
With  hollow  poverty  and  emptiness. 

Archbishop.   That  he  should  draw  his  several  strengths 
together 
And  come  against  us  in  full  puissance 
Need  not  be  dreaded. 

Hastings.  If  he  should  do  so. 

He  leaves  his  back  unarm'd,  the  French  and  Welsh 
Baying  him  at  the  heels  ;  never  fear  that.  80 

I ord  Bardolph.    Who  is  it  like  should  lead  his  forces 
hither? 

Hastings.    The  Duke  of  Lancaster  and  Westmoreland  ; 
Against  the  Welsh,  himself  and  Harry  Monmouth ; 


44     Second   Part  of  King  Henry  IV        [Act  i 

But  who  is  substituted  'gainst  the  French, 
I  have  no  certain  notice. 

Archbishop.  Let  us  on 

And  publish  the  occasion  of  our  arms. 
The  commonwealth  is  sick  of  their  own  choice  ; 
'I'hcir  over-greedy  love  hath  surfeited. 
An  habitation  giddy  and  unsure 

Hath  he  that  buildeth  on  the  vulgar  heart. —  90 

O  thou  fond  many,  with  what  loud  applause 
Didst  thou  beat  heaven  with  blessing  Bolingbroke 
Before  he  was  what  thou  wouldst  have  him  be  ! 
And  being  now  trimm'd  in  thine  own  desires, 
Thou,  beastly  feeder,  art  so  full  of  him 
That  thou  provok'st  thyself  to  cast  him  up. 
So,  so,  thou  common  dog,  didst  thou  disgorge 
Thy  glutton  bosom  of  the  royal  Richard  ; 
And  now  thou  wouldst  eat  thy  dead  vomit  up. 
And  howl'st  to  find  it.     What  trust  is  in  these  times?    100 
They  that,  when  Richard  liv'd,  would  have  him  die 
Are  now  become  enamour'd  on  his  grave  ; 
Thou,  that  threw'st  dust  upon  his  goodly  head 
When  through  proud  London  he  came  sighing  on 
After  the  admired  heels  of  Bolingbroke, 
Criest  now  '  O  earth,  yield  us  that  king  again, 
And  take  thou  this  ! '     O  thoughts  of  men  accurs'd  ! 
Past  and  to  come  seems  best;  things  present  worst. 

Mowbray.    Shall  we  go  draw  our  numbers  and  set  on  ? 

Hastings.   We  are  time's  subjects,  and  time  bids  be 
gone.  [^Exeunt. 


/<? 


A  Street  in  London 


ACT   II 

Scene  I.     Lojidon.     A  Street 

Enter  Hostess,  Fang  and  his  Boy  with  her,  and  Snare 

following 

Hostess.    Master  Fang,  have  you  entered  the  action? 
^ang.   It  is  entered. 

Hostess.   Where  's  your  yeoman?     Is  't  a  lusty  yeo- 
man ?  will  a'  stand  to  't  ? 

45 


46     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV       [Act  11 

Favg.    Sirrah,  where  's  Snare? 

Hostess.   O  Lord,  ay  !  good  Master  Snare. 

Snare.    Here,  here. 

Fang.    Snare,  we  must  arrest  Sir  John  Falstaff. 

Hostess.  Yea,  good  Master  Snare ;  I  have  entered 
him  and  all.  10 

Snare.  It  may  chance  cost  some  of  us  our  lives,  for 
he  will  stab. 

Hostess.  Alas  the  day  !  take  heed  of  him ;  he  stabbed 
me  in  mine  own  house,  and  that  most  beastly.  In  good 
faith,  he  cares  not  what  mischief  he  does,  if  his  weapon 
be  out.  He  will  foin  like  any  devil ;  he  will  spare 
neither  man,  woman,  nor  child. 

Fang.  If  I  can  close  with  him,  I  care  not  for  his 
thrust. 

Hostess.    No,  nor  I  neither ;  I  '11  be  at  your  elbow.  20 

Fang.  An  I  but  fist  him  once,  an  a'  come  but 
within  my  vice, — 

Hostess.  I  am  undone  by  his  going ;  I  warrant  you, 
he  's  an  infinitive  thing  upon  ray  score.  .  Good  Master 
Fang,  hold  him  sure ;  good  Master  Snare,  let  him  not 
scape.  A'  comes  continuantly  to  Pie-corner  —  saving 
your  manhoods  —  to  buy  a  saddle  ;  and  he  is  indited 
to  dinner  to  the  Lubb^r's-head  in  Lumbert  Street,  to 
Master  Smooth's  the  silkman.  I  pray  ye,  since  my 
exion  is  entered  and  my  case  so  openly  known  to  the  30 
world,  let  him  be  brought  in  to  his  answer.  A  hundred 
mark  is  a  long  one  for  a  poor  lone  woman  to  bear ; 
and  I  have  borne,  and  borne,  and  borne,  and  have 


Scene  I]     Second   Part  of  King   Henry   IV    47 

been  fubbed  off,  and  fubbed  off,  and  fubbed  off,  from 
this  day  to  that  day,  that  it  is  a  shame  to  be  thought 
on.  There  is  no  honesty  in  such  deahng,  unless  a 
woman  should  be  made  an  ass  and  a  beast,  to  bear 
every  knave's  wrong.  Yonder  he  comes  ;  and  that 
arrant  malmsey-nose  knave,  Bardolph,  with  him.  Do 
your  offices,  do  your  offices  ;  Master  Fang  and  Master 
Snare,  do  me,  do  me,  do  me  your  offices.  41 

Enter  Falstaff,  Page,  and  Bardolph 

Falstaff.  How  now!  whose  mare's  dead?  what's 
the  matter? 

Fang.  Sir  John,  I  arrest  you  at  the  suit  of  Mistress 
Quickly. 

Falstaff.  Away,  varlets  !  Draw,  Bardolph  !  cut  me 
off  the  villain's  head ;  throw  the  quean  in  the  channel. 

Hostess.   Throw  me  in  the  channel !    I  '11  throw  thee 
in  the  channel.     Wilt  thou?  wilt  thou?  thou  bastardly    • 
rogue  !     Murther,  murther  !     Ah,   thou   honey-suckle  50 
villain!  wilt  thou  kill  God's  officers  and  the  king's? 
Ah,  thou  honey-seed  rogue  !  thou  art  a  honey-seed,  a 
man-queller,  and  a  Avoman-queller. 

Falstaff.    Keep  them  off,  Bardolph. 

Fang.    A  rescue  !  a  rescue  ! 

Hostess.  Good  people,  bring  a  rescue  or  two.  Thou 
woo't,  woo't  thou?  thou  woo't,  woo't  thou?  do,  do, 
tho-i  rogue  !  do,  thou  hemp-seed  ! 

Falstaff.  Away,  you  scullion  !  you  rampallian  !  you 
fustilarian  !  I  '11  tickle  your  catastrophe.  60 


48     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV       [Act  11 

Enter  the  Lord  Chief-Justice,  atid  his  men 

Chief-Justice.    What    is    the  matter?   keep  the  peace 
here,  ho  ! 

Hostess.  Good,  my  lord,  be  good  to  me.  I  beseech 
you,  stand  to  me. 

Chief-Justice.    How   now,  Sir    John !    what    are   you 
brawling  here? 
Doth  this  become  your  place,  your  time,  and  business? 
You  should  have  been  well  on  your  way  to  York.  — 
Stand  from  him,  fellow;  wherefore  hang'st  upon  him? 

Hostess.  O  my  most  worshipful  lord,  an  't  please 
your  grace,  I  am  a  poor  widow  of  Eastcheap,  and  he 
is  arrested  at  my  suit.  70 

Chief-Justice.    For  what  sum  ? 

Hostess.  It  is  more  than  for  some,  my  lord  ;  it  is  for 
all,  all  I  have.  He  hath  eaten  me  out  of  house  and 
home,  he  hath  put  all  my  substance  into  that  fat  belly 
of  his,  —  but  I  will  have  some  of  it  out  again,  or  I  will 
ride  thee  o'  nights  like  the  mare. 

Chief-Justice.  How  comes  this.  Sir  John?  Fie! 
what  man  of  good  temper  would  endure  this  tempest 
of  exclamation?  Are  you  not  ashamed  to  enforce  a 
poor  widow  to  so  rough  a  course  to  come  by  her  own? 

Falstaff.    What  is  the  gross  sum  that  I  owe  thee?       81 

Hostess.  Marry,  if  thou  wert  an  honest  man,  thy- 
self and  the  money  too.  Thou  didst  swear  to  me  upon 
a  parcel-gilt  goblet,  sitting  in  my  Dolphin-chamber,  at 
the  round  table,  by  a  sea-coal  fire,  on  Wednesday  in 


Scene  I]     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV    49 

Wheeson  week,  when  the  prince  broke  thy  head  for 
hking  his  father  to  a  singing-man  of  Windsor,  thou 
didst  swear  to  me  then,  as  I  was  washing  thy  wound, 
to  marry  me  and  make  me  my  lady  thy  wife.  Canst 
thou  deny  it?  Did  not  goodwife  Keech,  the  butcher's  90 
wife,  come  in  then  and  call  me  gossip  Quickly?  com- 
ing in  to  borrow  a  mess  of  vinegar,  teUing  us  she  had 
a  good  dish  of  prawns  ;  whereby  thou  didst  desire  to 
eat  some  ;  whereby  I  told  thee  they  were  ill  for  a  green 
wound?  And  didst  thou  not,  when  she  was  gone  down 
stairs,  desire  me  to  be  no  more  so  familiarity  with  such 
poor  people,  saying  that  ere  long  they  should  call  me 
madam?  And  didst  thou  not  kiss  me  and  bid  me 
fetch  thee  thirty  shillings?  I  put  thee  now  to  thy 
book-oath  ;  deny  it,  if  thou  canst.  100 

Falstaff.  My  lord,  this  is  a  poor  mad  soul ;  and  she 
says  up  and  down  the  town  that  her  eldest  son  is  like 
you.  She  hath  been  in  good  case,  and  the  truth  is, 
poverty  hath  distracted  her.  But  for  these  foolish 
officers,  I  beseech  you  I  may  have  redress  against  them. 

Chief -Justice.  Sir  John,  Sir  John,  I  am  well  ac- 
quainted with  your  manner  of  wrenching  the  true 
cause  the  false  way.  It  is  not  a  confident  brow,  nor 
the  throng  of  words  that  come  with  such  more  than 
impudent  sauciness  from  you,  can  thrust  me  from  a  no 
level  consideration  ;  you  have,  as  it  appears  to  me, 
practised  upon  the  easy-yielding  spirit  of  this  woman, 
and  made  her  serve  your  uses  both  in  purse  and  in 
person. 

2  HENRY  IV  —  4 


50     Second   Part  of  King   Henry   IV       [Act  il 

Hosfess.   Yea,  in  truth,  my  lord. 

Chief -Justice.  Pray  thee,  peace.  —  Pay  her  the  debt 
you  owe  her,  and  unpay  the  villainy  you  have  done 
her;  the  one  you  may  do  with  sterling  money,  and 
the  other  with  current  repentance. 

Fahtaff.  My  lord,  I  will  not  undergo  this  sneap  120 
without  reply.  You  call  honourable  boldness  impu- 
dent sauciness ;  if  a  man  will  make  courtesy  and  say 
nothing,  he  is  virtuous.  No,  my  lord,  my  humble 
duty  remembered,  I  will  not  be  your  suitor.  I  say  to 
you,  I  do  desire  deliverance  from  these  officers,  being 
upon  hasty  employment  in  the  king's  affairs. 

Chief -Justice.  You  speak  as  having  power  to  do 
wrong ;  but  answer  in  the  effect  of  your  reputation, 
and  satisfy  the  poor  woman. 

Fa/staff.    Come  hither,  hostess.  130 

Enter  Gower 

Chief  Justice.    Now,  Master  Gower,  what  news? 

Gower.    The    king,    my   lord,   and    Harry   Prince   of 
Wales 
Are  near  at  hand  ;  the  rest  the  paper  tells. 

Falstaff.    As  I  am  a  gentleman. 

Hostess.    Faith,  you  said  so  before. 

Falstaff.  As  I  am  a  gentleman.  Come,  no  more 
words  of  it. 

Hostess.  By  this  heavenly  ground  I  tread  on,  I  must 
be  fain  to  pawn  both  my  plate  and  the  tapestry  of  my 
dining-chambers.  140 


Scene  I]     Second   Part  of  King  Henry   IV     51 

Fahtaff.  Glasses,  glasses,  is  the  only  drinking  ;  and 
for  thy  walls,  a  pretty  slight  drollery,  or  the  story  of  the 
Prodigal,  or  the  German  hunting  in  water-work,  is 
worth  a  thousand  of  these  bed-hangings  and  these  fly- 
bitten tapestries.  Let  it  be  ten  pound,  if  thou  canst. 
Come,  an  't  were  not  for  thy  humours,  there  's  not  a 
better  wench  in  England.  Go,  wash  thy  face,  and 
draw  the  action.  Come,  thou  must  not  be  in  this 
humour  with  me;  dost  not  know  me?  come,  come,  I 
know  thou  wast  set  on  to  this.  150 

Hostess.  Pray  thee.  Sir  John,  let  it  be  but  twenty 
nobles ;  i'  faith,  I  am  loath  to  pawn  my  plate,  so  God 
save  me,  la  ! 

Falstaff.  Let  it  alone,  I  '11  make  other  shift ;  you  '11 
be  a  fool  still. 

Hostess.  Well,  you  shall  have  it,  though  I  pawn  my 
gown.  I  hope  you  '11  come  to  supper.  You  '11  pay 
me  all  together? 

Falstaff.  Will  I  live?— [71?  BardoIpJi]  Go,  with 
her,  with  her  ;  hook  on,  hook  on.  160 

Hostess.  Will  you  have  Doll  Tearsheet  meet  you  at 
supper? 

Falstaff.    No  more  words  ;  let  's  have  her. 

'[^Exeunt  Hostess,  Banlolph,  Officers,  and  Boy. 

Chief-Justice.    I  have  heard  better  news. 

Falstaff.    What  's  the  news,  my  lord? 

thief -Justice.    Where  lay  the  king  last  night? 

Gower.   At  Basingstoke,  my  lord. 


52     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV       [Act  II 

Fahtaff.  I  hope,  my  lord,  all  's  well;  what  is  the 
news,  my  lord? 

Chief-Justice.    Come  all  his  forces  back?  170 

Gower.     No ;     fifteen    hundred    foot,    five    hundred 
horse, 
Are  march'd  uj)  to  my  lord  of  Lancaster, 
Against  Northumberland  and  the  Archbishop, 

Falstaff.    Comes  the  king  back  from  Wales,  my  noble 
lord? 

Chief -Justice.    You  shall  have  letters  of  me  presently. — 
Come,  go  along  with  me,  good  Master  Gower. 

Falstaff.    My  lord  ! 

Chief-Justice.    What  's  the  matter? 

Falstaff.  Master  Gower,  shall  I  entreat  you  with  me 
to  dinner?  iSo 

Gower.  I  must  wait  upon  my  good  lord  here ;  I 
thank  you,  good  Sir  John. 

Chief  Justice.  Sir  John,  you  loiter  here  too  long, 
being  you  are  to  take  soldiers  up  in  counties  as  you 

go- 

Falstaff.    Will  you  sup  with  me.  Master  Gower? 

Chief-Justice.  What  foolish  master  taught  you  these 
manners,  Sir  John? 

Falstaff.  Master  Gower,  if  they  become  me  not,  he 
was  a  fool  that  taught  them  me.  —  This  is  the  right 
fencing  grace,  my  lord,  —  tap  for  tap,  and  so  part 
fair.  192 

Chief -Justice.  Now  the  Lord  lighten  thee  !  thou  art 
a  great  fool.  \Exeunt. 


Scene  II]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV     53 

Scene  II.     London.     Another  Street 
Enter  Prince  Henry  and  Poins 

Prince.    Before  God,  I  am  exceeding  weary. 

Foins.  Is  't  come  to  that?  I  had  thought  weariness 
durst  not  have  attached  one  of  so  high  blood. 

Prince.  Faith,  it  does  me,  though  it  discolours  the 
complexion  of  my  greatness  to  acknowledge  it.  Doth 
it  not  show  vilely  in  me  to  desire  small  beer? 

Poins.  Why,  a  prince  should  not  be  so  loosely 
studied  as  to  remember  so  weak  a  composition. 

Prince.  Belike  then  my  appetite  was  not  princely 
got;  for,  by  my  troth,  I  do  now  remember  the  poor  10 
creature,  small  beer.  But,  indeed,  these  humble  con- 
siderations make  me  out  of  love  with  my  greatness. 
What  a  disgrace  is  it  to  me  to  remember  thy  name  ! 
or  to  know  thy  face  to-morrow  !  or  to  take  note  how 
many  pairs  of  silk  stockings  thou  hast,  namely,  these, 
and  those  that  were  thy  peach-coloured  ones  !  or  to 
bear  the  inventory  of  thy  shirts,  as,  one  for  superfluity, 
and  another  for  use  !  But  that  the  tennis-court  keeper 
knows  better  than  I,  for  it  is  a  low  ebb  of  linen  with 
thee  when  thou  keepest  not  racket  there,  as  thou  hast  20 
not  done  a  great  while,  because  the  rest  of  thy  low 
countries  have  made  a  shift  to  eat  up  thy  holland ; 
and  God  knows  whether  those  that  bawl  out  the  ruins 
of  thy  linen  shall  inherit  his  kingdom. 

Poins.  How  ill  it  follows,  after  you  have  laboured 
so  hard,  you  should  talk  so  idly  !     Tell  me,  how  many 


54    Second  Part  of  King   Henry  IV       [Act  il 

good  young  princes  would  do  so,  their  fathers  being 
so  sick  as  yours  at  this  time  is  ? 

Prince.    Shall  I  tell  thee  one  thing,  Poins? 

Pains.   Yes,  faith;   and  let   it  be   ian   excellent   good 
thing.  30 

Prince.  It  shall  serve  among  wits  of  no  higher 
breeding  than  thine. 

Poins.  Go  to ;  I  stand  the  push  of  your  one 
thing  that  you  will  tell. 

Prince.  Marry,  I  tell  thee,  it  is  not  meet  that  I 
should  be  sad,  now  my  father  is  sick ;  albeit  I  could 
tell  to  thee,  as  to  one  it  pleases  me,  for  fault  of  a  bet- 
ter, to  call  my  friend,  I  could  be  sad,  and  sad  indeed 
too. 

Poins.   Very  hardly  upon  such  a  subject.  40 

Prince.  By  this  hand,  thou  thinkest  me  as  far  in 
the  devil's  book  as  thou  and  Falstaff  for  obduracy  and 
persistency ;  let  the  end  try  the  man.  But  I  tell  thee, 
my  heart  bleeds  inwardly  that  my  father  is  so  sick ; 
and  keeping  such  vile  company  as  thou  art  hath  in 
reason  taken  from  me  all  ostentation  of  sorrow. 

Poins.   The  reason? 

Prince.    What  wouldst  thou  think  of  me  if  I  should 
weep? 

Poins.    I  would  think  thee  a  most  princely  hypocrite. 
\   -^Prince.    It  would  be  every  man's  thought,  and  thou  50 
art  a   blessed   fellow  to   think   as  every  man  thinks. 
Never  a  man's  thought  in  the  world  keeps  the  road- 
way better  than  thine ;  every  man  would  think  me  an 


Scene  II]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV     ^^ 

hypocrite  indeed.     And  what  accites  your  most  wor- 
shipful thought  to  think  so? 

Poins.  Why,  because  you  have  been  so  lewd  and 
so  much  engraffed  to  Falstaff. 

Prince.    And  to  thee. 

Poins.  By  this  hght,  I  am  well  spoke  on  ;  I  can 
hear  it  with  mine  own  ears.  The  worst  that  they  can  60 
say  of  me  is  that  I  am  a  second  brother  and  that  I 
am  a  proper  fellow  of  my  hands ;  and  those  two 
things,  I  confess,  I  cannot  help.  —  By  the  mass,  here 
comes  Bardolph. 

Enter  Bardolph  and  Page 

Pri?ice.  And  the  boy  that  I  gave  Falstaff;  he  had 
him  from  me  Christian,  and  look  if  the  fat  villain  have 
not  transformed  him  ape. 

Bardolph.    God  save  your  grace  ! 

Prince.    And  yours,  most  noble  Bardolph?  69 

Bardolph.  Come,  you  virtuous  ass,  you  bashful 
fool,  must  you  be  blushing?  wherefore  blush  you  now? 
What  a  maidenly  man-at-arms  are  you  become  ! 

Page.  A'  calls  me  e'en  now,  my  lord,  through  a  red 
lattice,  and  I  could  discern  no  part  of  his  face  from 
the  window ;  at  last  I  spied  his  eyes,  and  methought 
he  had  made  two  holes  in  the  ale-wife's  new  petticoat 
anJ  peeped  through. 

Prince.    Has  not  the  boy  profited? 

Bardolph.    Away,  you  whoreson  upright  rabbit,  away  ! 

Page.   Away,  you  rascally  Althaea's  dream,  away  !        80 


56     Second   Part  of  King   Henry   IV       [Act  11 

Prince.    Instruct  us,  boy  ;  what  dream,  boy? 

Page.  Marry,  my  lord,  Alth?ea  dreamed  she  was 
delivered  of  a  fire-brand ;  and  therefore  I  call  him 
her  dream. 

Prince.  A  crown's  worth  of  good  interpretation.  — 
There  't  is,  boy. 

Poins.  O,  that  this  good  blossom  could  be  kept 
from  cankers!  —  Well,  there  is  sixpence  to  preserve 
them. 

Bardolph.   An  you  do  not  make  him  hanged  among  90 
you,  the  gallows  shall  have  wrong. 

Prince.    And  how  doth  thy  master,  Bardolph? 

Bardolpii.  Well,  my  lord.  He  heard  of  your  grace's 
coming  to  town ;  there's  a  letter  for  you. 

Poins.  Delivered  with  good  respect;  —  And  how 
doth  the  martlemas,  your  master? 

Bardolpii.    In  bodily  health,  sir. 

Poins.  Marry,  the  immortal  part  needs  a  physician, 
but  that  moves  not  him ;  though  that  be  sick,  it  dies 
not.  100 

Prince.  I  do  allow  this  wen  to  be  as  familiar  with 
me  as  my  dog ;  and  he  holds  his  place,  for  look  you 
how  he  writes. 

Poins.  [  Reads]  'John  Falsfaff,  knight,^  —  every  man 
must  know  that,  as  oft  as  he  has  occasion  to  name  him- 
self; even  like  those  that  are  kin  to  the  king,  for  they 
never  prick  their  finger  but  they  say,  '  There  's  some  of 
the  king's  blood  spilt.'  '  How  comes  that?'  says  he, 
that  takes  upon  him  not  to  conceive.     The  answer  is 


Scene  II]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV     57 

as  ready  as  a  borrower's  cap,  '  I  am  the  king's  poor  no 
cousin,  sir.' 

Prince.  Nay,  they  will  be  kin  to  us,  or  they  will 
fetch  it  from  Japhet.     But  to  the  letter. 

Poins.  [Reads]  '  Sir  John  Fahtaff,  knight,  to  the 
son  of  the  king,  Clearest  his  father,  Harry  Prince  of 
Wales,  greeting'  —  Why,  this  is  a  certificate. 

Prince.    Peace  ! 

Poins.  [Reads]  '  I  will  imitate  the  honourable  Ro- 
mans in  brevity; '  he  sure  means  brevity  in  breath, 
short-winded .  '  /commend  me  to  thee,  I cotnmend  thee,  120 
ajid  I  leave  thee.  Be  not  too  fajniliar  with  Poins  ;  for 
he  misuses  thy  favours  so  much  that  he  swears  thou  art 
to  marry  his  sister  Nell.  Repent  at  idle  times  as  thou 
mayest;  and  so,  farewell. 

'  Thine,  by  yea  and  no,  which  is  as  much  as  to 
say,  as  thou  usesthim.  Jack  Falstaff  ay//A  my 
familiars,  John  with  my  brothers  and  sisters, 
and  Sir  John  with  all  Europe.'' 
My  lord,  I'll  steep  this  letter  in  sack  and  make  him 

Cu,L   It.  T  'yr\ 

Prince.  That 's  to  make  him  eat  twenty  of  his 
words.  But  do  you  use  me  thus,  Ned  ?  must  I  marry 
your  sister? 

Poins.  God  send  the  wench  no  worse  fortune  !  But 
I  never  said  so. 

Prince.  Well,  thus  we  play  the  fools  with  the  time, 
and  the  spirits  of  the  wise  sit  in  the  clouds  and  mock 
us.  —  Is  your  master  here  in  London  ? 


58     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV       [Act  11 

Bardolph.    Yea,  my  lord. 

Prince,   ^^'here  sups  he  ?  doth  the  old  boar  feed  in 
the  old  frank?  Hi 

Bardolph.    At  the  old  place,  my  lord,  in  Eastcheap. 

Prince.    What  company? 

Page.    Ephesians,  my  lord,  of  the  old  church. 

Prince.    Sup  any  women  with  him? 

Page.  None,  my  lord,  but  old  Mistress  Quickly  and 
Mistress  Doll  Tearsheet. 

Prince.    What  pagan  may  that  be? 

Page.  A  proper  gentlewoman,  sir,  and  a  kinswoman 
of  my  master's.  15° 

Prince.    Shall  we  steal  upon  them,  Ned,  at  supper? 

Poins.    I  am  your  shadow,  my  lord  ;  I  '11  follow  you. 

Prince.  Sirrah,  you  boy,  —  and  Bardolph,  —  no  word 
to  your  master  that  I  am  yet  come  to  town.  There  's 
for  your  silence. 

Bardolph.    I  have  no  tongue,  sir. 

Page.   And  for  mine,  sir,  I  will  govern  it. 

Prince.  Fare  you  well ;  go,  —  \_Exeiint  Bardolph 
and  Page.\  How  might  we  see  Falstaff  bestow  himself 
to-night  in  his  true  colours,  and  not  ourselves  be  seen? 

Poins.  Put  on  two  leathern  jerkins  and  aprons,  and 
wait  upon  him  at  his  table  as  drawers.  162 

Prince.  From  a  God  to  a  bull?  a  heavy  declension  ! 
it  was  Jove's  case.  From  a  prince  to  a  prentice?  a 
low  transformation  !  that  shall  be  mine  ;  for  in  every 
thing  the  purpose  must  weigh  with  the  folly.  Follow 
me,  Ned.  {^Exeunt. 


Scene  III]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV     59 


Scene  III.      Warkworth.     Before  the   Castle 

Enter  Northumberland,   Lady  Northumberland,  and 

Lady  Percy 

Noi-thumberland.    I    prithee,  loving  wife,  and    gentle 

daughter, 
Give  even  way  unto  my  rough  affairs ; 
Put  not  you  on  the  visage  of  the  times. 
And  be  like  them  to  Percy  troublesome. 

Lady  Northumberland.    I  have  given  over,  I  will  speak 

no  more. 
Do  what  you  will ;  your  wisdom  be  your  guide. 

Northumberland.    Alas,   sweet  wife,  my  honour  is  at 

pawn ; 
And,  but  my  going,  nothing  can  redeem  it. 

Lady  Percy.    O  yet,  for  God's  sake,  go  not  to  these 

wars  ! 
The  time  was,  father,  that  you  broke  your  word  10 

When  you  were  more  endear'd  to  it  than  now, 
When  your  own  Percy,  when  my  heart's  dear  Harry, 
Threw  many  a  northward  look  to  see  his  father 
Bring  up  his  powers ;  but  he  did  long  in  vain. 
Who  then  persuaded  you  to  stay  at  home? 
There  were  two  honours  lost,  yours  and  your  son's. 
For  yours,  the  God  of  heaven  brighten  it ! 
For  his,  it  stuck  upon  him  as  the  sun 
In  the  grey  vault  of  heaven,  and  by  his  light 
Did  all  the  chivalry  of  England  move  20 


6o    Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV       [Act  il 

To  do  brave  acts ;  he  was  indeed  the  glass 

Wherein  the  noble  youth  did  dress  themselves. 

He  had  no  legs  that  practis'd  not  his  gait ; 

And  speaking  thick,  which  nature  made  his  blemish, 

Became  the  accents  of  the  valiant, 

For  those  that  could  speak  low  and  tardily 

Would  turn  their  own  perfection  to  abuse, 

To  seem  like  him  ;  so  that  in  speech,  in  gait, 

In  diet,  in  affections  of  delight, 

In  military  rules,  humours  of  blood,  3° 

He  was  the  mark  and  glass,  copy  and  book. 

That  fashion'd  others.     And  him,  O  wondrous  him  ! 

O  miracle  of  men  !  him  did  you  leave, 

Second  to  none,  unseconded  by  you, 

To  look  upon  the  hideous  god  of  war 

In  disadvantage,  to  abide  a  field 

Where  nothing  but  the  sound  of  Hotspur's  name 

Did  seem  defensible  ;  so  you  left  him. 

Never,  O  never,  do  his  ghost  the  wrong 

To  hold  your  honour  more  precise  and  nice  4° 

With  others  than  with  him  !  let  them  alone. 

The  marshal  and  the  archbishop  are  strong ; 

Had  my  sweet  Harry  had  but  half  their  numbers, 

To-day  might  I,  hanging  on  Hotspur's  neck. 

Have  talk'd  of  Monmouth's  grave. 

Northumberland.  Beshrew  your  heart. 

Fair  daughter,  you  do  draw  my  spirits  from  me 
With  new  lamenting  ancient  oversights. 
But  I  must  go  and  meet  with  danger  there, 


Scene  IV]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV     6i 

Or  it  will  seek  me  in  another  place 
And  find  me  worse  provided. 

Lady  Noi'thuinberland.  O,  fly  to  Scotland,  50 

Till  that  the  nobles  and  the  armed  commons 
Have  of  their  puissance  made  a  little  taste. 

Lady  Percy.    If  they  get  ground  and  vantage  of  the 
king, 
Then  join  you  with  them,  like  a  rib  of  steel, 
To  make  strength  stronger ;  but,  for  all  our  loves, 
First  let  them  try  themselves.     So  did  your  son, 
He  was  so  suffer'd  ;  so  came  I  a  widow, 
And  never  shall  have  length  of  life  enough 
To  rain  upon  remembrance  with  mine  eyes, 
That  it  may  grow  and  sprout  as  high  as  heaven  60 

For  recordation  to  my  noble  husband. 

Northumbet'land.    Come,  come,  go  in  with  me.     'T  is 
with  my  mind 
As  with  the  tide  swell'd  up  unto  his  height, 
That  makes  a  still-stand,  running  neither  way. 
Fain  would  I  go  to  meet  the  archbishop. 
But  many  thousand  reasons  hold  me  back.  — 
I  will  resolve  for  Scotland  ;  there  am  I 
Till  time  and  vantage  crave  my  company.  \_Exeunt. 

Scene  IV.     London.     The  Boar's-head  Tavern  in  East- 
cheap.     Enter  two  Drawers 

I  Drawer.  What  the  devil  hast  thou  brought  there? 
apple-johns?  thou  knowest  Sir  John  cannot  endure  an 
apple-john. 


Si     Second   Part  of  King  Henry   IV       [Act  II 

2  Drcnocr.  Mass,  thou  sayest  true.  The  prince  once 
set  a  dish  of  apple-johns  before  him,  and  told  him 
there  were  five  more  Sir  Johns,  and,  putting  off  his 
hat,  said  '  I  will  now  take  my  leave  of  these  six  dry, 
round,  old,  withered  knights.'  It  angered  him  to  the 
heart ;  but  he  hath  forgot  that. 

1  Draiver.   Why,  then,  cover,  and  set  them  down ;  lo 
and  see  if  thou  canst  find  out  Sneak's  noise.    Mistress 
Tearsheet  would  fain  hear  some  music. 

2  Drawer.  Sirrah,  here  will  be  the  prince  and  Mas- 
ter Poins  anon,  and  they  will  put  on  two  of  our  jerkins 
and  aprons,  and  Sir  John  must  not  know  of  it ;  Bar- 
dolph  hath  brought  word. 

1  Draiver.  By  the  mass,  here  will  be  old  utis ;  it 
will  be  an  excellent  stratagem. 

2  Drawe)'.    I  '11  see  if  I  can  find  out  Sneak.  [_Exif. 


Better  Hostess  and  Doll  Tearsheet 

Hostess.  V  faith,  sweetheart,  methinks  now  you  are  20 
in  an  excellent  good  temperality ;  your  pulsidge 
beats  as  extraordinarily  as  heart  would  desire,  and 
your  colour,  I  warrant  you,  is  as  red  as  any  rose,  in 
good  truth,  la  !  But,  i'  faith,  you  have  drunk  too  much 
canaries ;  and  that 's  a  marvellous  searching  wine,  and 
it  perfumes  the  blood  ere  one  can  say  'What's  this?' 
—  How  do  you  now? 

Do//.    Better  than  I  was  ;  hem  ! 

Hostess.    Why,  that 's   well   said ;    a   good  heart 's 
worth  gold.     Lo,  here  comes  Sir  John.  30 


Scene  IV]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV     6, 


T 


Enter  Falstaff 

Fahtaff.    [Singing]  '  When  Arthurfirst  in  court  — 
And  was  a  worthy  kifig.'  —  \^Exit  i  Drawer?\  —  How 
now,  Mistress  Doll ! 

Hostess.    Sick  of  a  calm  ;  yea,  good  faith. 

Falstaff.  So  is  all  her  sect;  an  they  be  once  in  a 
calm,  they  are  sick. 

Doll.  You  muddy  rascal,  is  that  all  the  comfort  you 
give  me? 

Falstaff.   You  make  fat  rascals,  Mistress  Doll. 

Doll.    I  make  them  !    gluttony  and  diseases  make  40 
them;  I  make  them  not. 

Hostess.  By  my  troth,  this  is  the  old  fashion  ;  you 
two  never  meet  but  you  fall  to  some  discord.  You  are 
both,  i'  good  truth,  as  rheumatic  as  two  dry  toasts  ;  you 
cannot  one  bear  with  another's  confirmities.  What  the 
good-year  !  one  must  bear,  and  that  must  be  you ;  you 
are  the  weaker  vessel,  as  they  say,  the  emptier  vessel. 

Doll.  Come,  I  '11  be  friends  with  thee,  Jack ;  thou 
art  going  to  the  wars,  and  whether  I  shall  ever  see  thee 
again  or  no,  there  is  nobody  cares.  50 

Re-enter  i  Drawer 

I  Draiuer.  Sir,  Ancient  Pistol 's  below,  and  would 
speak  with  you. 

Doll.  Hang  him,  swaggering  rascal !  let  him  not 
come  hither;  it  is  the  foul-mouthed'st  rogue  in 
England. 

Hostess.    If  he  swagger,   let  him  not   come  here. 


64     Second   Part  of  King  Henry    IV       [Act  II 

No,  by  my  faith ;  I  must  live  among  my  neighbours, 
I  '11  no  swaggerers.      I  am  in  good  name  and   fame 
with  the  very  best.  —  Shut  the  door;  —  there  comes 
no  swaggerers  here.     I  have  not  lived  all  this  while  60 
to  have  swaggering  now.  —  Shut  the  door,  I  pray  you. 

Falstaff.    Dost  thou  hear,  hostess? 

Hostess.    Pray  ye,  pacify  yourself,  Sir  John;  there 
comes  no  swaggerers  here. 

Falstaff.    Dost  thou  hear?  it  is  mine  ancient. 

Hostess.  Tilly-fally,  Sir  John,  ne'er  tell  me ;  your 
ancient  swaggerer  comes  not  in  my  doors.  I  was  be- 
fore Master  Tisick,  the  debuty,  t'  other  day ;  and,  as 
he  said  to  me  —  't  was  no  longer  ago  than  Wednesday 
last  —  '  r  good  faith,  neighbour  Quickly,'  says  he  —  70 
Master  Dumbe,  our  minister,  was  by  then  —  'Neigh- 
bour Quickly,'  says  he,  '  receive  those  that  are  civil ; 
for,'  said  he,  '  you  are  in  an  ill  name.'  Now  a'  said 
so,  I  can  tell  whereupon ;  '  for,'  says  he,  *  you  are  an 
honest  woman  and  well  thought  on,  therefore  take 
heed  what  guests  you  receive ;  receive,'  says  he,  '  no 
swaggering  companions.'  There  comes  none  here ; 
—  you  would  bless  you  to  hear  what  he  said.  —  No, 
I  '11  no  swaggerers. 

Falstaff.    He  's     no    swaggerer,    hostess,    a    tame  80 
cheater,  i'  faith  ;  you  may  stroke  him  as  gently  as  a 
puppy  greyhound.     He  '11  not  swagger  with  a  Barbary 
hen,  if  her  feathers  turn  back  in  any  show  of  resist- 
ance. —  Call  him  up,  drawer.  \_Fxit  i  Drawer. 

Hostess.   Cheater,  call  you  him  ?     I  will  bar  no  hon- 


Scene  IVJ    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    65 

est  man  my  house,  nor  no  cheater,  but  I  do  not  love 
swaggering,  by  my  troth  ;  I  am  the  worse,  when  one 
says  swagger.  —  Feel,  masters,  how  I  shake  ;  look  you, 
I  warrant  you. 

Doll.    So  you  do,  hostess.  90 

Hostess.  Do  I  !  yea,  in  very  truth,  do  I,  an  't  were 
an  aspen  leaf.     I  cannot  abide  swaggerers. 

Enter  Pistol,  Bardolph,  and  Page 

Pistol.    God  save  you.  Sir  John  ! 

Falstaff.  Welcome,  Ancient  Pistol.  Here,  Pistol, 
I  charge  you  with  a  cup  of  sack ;  do  you  discharge 
upon  mine  hostess. 

Pistol.    I  will  discharge  her,  Sir  John. 

Falstaff.  She  is  pistol-proof,  sir;  you  shall  hardly 
ofTend  her. 

Hostess.    Come,  I  '11  drink  no  proofs  ;  I  '11  drink  no  100 
more  than  will  do  me  good,  for  no  man's  pleasure,  I. 

Pistol  Then  to  you.  Mistress  Dorothy ;  I  will 
charge  you. 

Doll.  Charge  me  !  I  scorn  you,  scurvy  companion. 
What  !  you  poor,  base,  rascally,  cheating,  lack-hnen 
mate  !  Away,  you  mouldy  rogue,  away  !  I  am  meat 
for  your  master. 

Pistol.    I  know  you,  Mistress  Dorothy. 

Doll.   Away,  you  cut-purse  rascal  !  you  filthy  bung, 
away  !  by  this  wine,  I  '11  thrust  my  knife  in  your  mouldy  no 
chaps,  an  you  play  the  saucy  cuttle  with  me.     Away, 
you   bottle-ale    rascal  !  you   basket-hilt  stale  juggler, 

2   HENRY    IV — 5 


66     Second  Part  of  King   Henry   IV       [Act  il 

you  !     Since  when,  I  pray  you,  sir?     God's  light,  with 
two  points  on  your  shoulder?  much  ! 

Pistol.  God  let  me  not  live  but  I  will  murther  your 
ruff  for  this. 

Falstaff.  No  more,  Pistol,  I  would  not  have  you  go 
off  here  :  discharge  yourself  of  our  company.  Pistol. 

Hostess.  No,  good  Captain  Pistol ;  not  here,  sweet 
captain.  120 

Doll.  Captain  !  thou  abominable  damned  cheater, 
art  thou  not  ashamed  to  be  called  captain  ?  An  cap- 
tains were  of  my  mind,  they  would  truncheon  you  out, 
for  taking  their  names  upon  you  before  you  have 
earned  them.  You  a  captain  !  you  slave,  for  what? 
He  a  captain !  hang  him,  rogue  !  he  lives  upon 
mouldy  stewed  prunes  and  dried  cakes.  A  captain  ! 
God's  light,  these  villains  will  mak?  the  word  captain 
odious  ;  therefore  captains  had  need  look  to  't. 

Bardolph.    Pray  thee,  go  down,  good  ancient.  130 

Falstaff.    Hark  thee  hither.  Mistress  Doll. 

Pistol.  Not  I.  I  tell  thee  what,  Corporal  Bardolph, 
I  could  tear  her ;  I  '11  be  revenged  of  her. 

Page.    Pray  thee,  go  down. 

Pistol.  I  '11  see  her  damned  first ;  to  Pluto's  damned 
lake,  by  this  hand,  to  the  infernal  deep,  with  Erebus 
and  tortures  vile  also.  Hold  hook  and  line,  say  I. 
Down,  down,  dogs  !  down,  faitors  !  Have  we  not  Hi- 
ren  here? 

Hostess.    Good  Captain  Peesel,  be  quiet ;  't  is  very  140 
late,  i'  faith.  I  beseek  you  now,  aggravate  your  choler. 


Scene  IV]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    67 

Pistol.   These  be  good  humours,  indeed  !     Shall  pack- 
horses 
And  hollow  pamper'd  jades  of  Asia, 
Which  cannot  go  but  thirty  mile  a-day, 
Compare  with  Caesars,  and  with  Cannibals, 
And  Trojan  Greeks?  nay,  rather  damn  them  with 
King  Cerberus ;  and  let  the  welkin  roar. 
Shall  we  fall  foul  for  toys? 

Hostess.  By  my  troth,  captain,  these  are  very  bitter 
words.  150 

Bardolph.  Be  gone,  good  ancient ;  this  will  grow  to 
a  brawl  anon. 

Pistol.  Die  men  like  dogs  !  give  crowns  like  pins ! 
Have  we  not  Hiren  here? 

Hostess.  O'  my  word,  captain,  there  's  none  such 
here.  What  the  good-year  !  do  you  think  I  would 
deny  her?     For  God's  sake,  be  quiet. 

Pistol.    Then  feed,  and  be  fat,  my  fair  Calipolis. 
Come,  give  's  some  sack. 

Si  fortune  me  tormente,  sperato  me  contento.  160 

Fear  we  broadsides?  no,  let  the  fiend  give  fire. 
Give  me  some  sack ;  and,  sweetheart,  lie  thou  there. 

\_Laying  down  his  sword. 
Come  we  to  full  points  here,  and  are  etceteras  nothing? 

Falstaff.    Pistol,  I  would  be  quiet. 

Pistol.  Sweet  knight,  I  kiss  thy  neif.  What !  we 
have  seen  the  seven  stars. 

Doll.  For  God's  sake,  thrust  him  down  stairs ;  I 
cannot  endure  such  a  fustian  rascal. 


68     Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  ii 

Pistol.  Thrust  him  down  stairs  !  know  we  not  Gal- 
loway nags?  170 

Falstaff.  Quoit  him  down,  Bardolph,  like  a  shove- 
groat  shilHng;  nay,  an  a'  do  nothing  but  speak 
nothing,  a'  shall  be  nothing  here. 

Bardolph,    Come,  get  you  down  stairs. 

Pistol.    What!    shall   we   have   incision?    shall   we 
imbrue? —  \_Snaiching  tip  his  sword. 

Then  death  rock  me  asleep,  abridge  my  doleful  days  ! 
Why,  then,  let  grievous,  ghastly,  gaping  wounds 
Untwine  the  Sisters  Three  !     Come,  Atropos,  I  say  ! 

Hostess.    Here  's  goodly  stuff  toward  ! 

Falstaff.    Give  me  my  rapier,  boy.  iSo 

Doll.    I  pray  thee,  Jack,  I  pray  thee,  do  not  draw. 

Falstaff.    Get  you  down  stairs. 

\_Draztnng,  and  driving  Pistol  out. 

Hostess.  Here  's  a  goodly  tumult  !  I  '11  forswear 
keeping  house,  afore  I  '11  be  in  these  tirrits  and  frights. 
So ;  murther,  I  warrant  now.  —  Alas,  alas  !  put  up 
your  naked  weapons,  put  up  your  naked  weapons. 

\_Exeinit  Pistol  and  Bardolph. 

Doll.  I  pray  thee,  Jack,  be  quiet ;  the  rascal 's  gone. 
Ah,  you  whoreson  little  valiant  villain,  you  ! 

Hostess.  Are  you  not  hurt  i'  the  groin?  methought 
a'  made  a  shrewd  thrust  at  your  belly.  190 

Re-e7iter  Bardolph 

Falstaff.    Have  you  turned  him  out  o'  doors? 


Scene  IV]   Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV    69 

Bardolph.  Yea,  sir.  The  rascal 's  drunk.  You  have 
hurt  him,  sir,  i'  the  shoulder. 

Falstaff.  A  rascal  !  to  brave  me  ! 

Doll.  Ah,  you  sweet  little  rogue,  you  !  Alas,  poor 
ape,  how  thou  sweatest  !  come,  let  me  wipe  thy  face ; 
come  on,  yoa  whoreson  chops.  —  Ah,  rogue  !  i'  faith, 
I  love  thee ;  thou  art  as  valorous  as  Hector  of  Troy, 
worth  five  of  Agamemnon,  and  ten  times  better  than 
the  Nine  Worthies.     Ah,  villain  !  200 

Falstaff.  A  rascally  slave  !  I  will  toss  the  rogue  in 
a  blanket. 

Enter  Music 

Page.   The  music  is  come,  sir. 

Falstaff.  Let  them  play.  —  Play,  sirs.  —  A  rascal 
bragging  slave  !  the  rogue  fled  from  me  like  quicksilver. 

Doll.  V  faith,  and  thou  foUowedst  him  like  a  church. 
Thou  whoreson  little  tidy  Bartholomew  boar-pig,  when 
wilt  thou  leave  fighting  and  foining,  and  begin  to  patch 
up  thine  old  body  for  heaven?  209 

Enter,  behmd,  Prince  Henry  and  Poins,  disguised 

Falstaff.  Peace,  good  Doll !  do  not  speak  like  a 
death's-head  ;  do  not  bid  me  remember  mine  end. 

Doll.    Sirrah,  what  humour  's  the  prince  of? 
.^Falstaff.    A  good  shallow   young  fellow;    a'  would 
have  made  a  good  pantler,  a'  would  ha'  chipped  bread 
well. 

Doll.    They  say  Poins  has  a  good  wit. 

Falstaff.    He  a  good  wit?  hang  him,  baboon!  his 


yo    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  il 

wit  's  as  thick  as  Tewksbury  mustard ;    there  's  no 
more  conceit  in  him  than  is  in  a  mallet. 

Doll.   Why  does  the  prince  love  him  so,  then?  220 

Falsfaff.  Because  their  legs  are  both  of  a  bigness, 
and  a'  plays  at  quoits  well,  and  eats  conger  and  fennel, 
and  drinks  off  candles'  ends  for  flap-dragons,  and  rides 
the  wild-mare  with  the  boys,  and  jumps  upon  joined- 
stools,  and  swears  with  a  good  grace,  and  wears  his 
boots  very  smooth,  like  unto  the  sign  of  the  leg,  and 
breeds  no  bate  with  teUing  of  discreet  stories;  and 
such  other  gambol  faculties  a'  has,  that  show  a  weak 
mind  and  an  able  body,  for  the  which  the  prince  ad- 
mits him,  for  the  prince  himself  is  such  another ;  the 
weight  of  a  hair  will  turn  the  scales  between  their 
avoirdupois.  232 

Prince.  Would  not  this  nave  of  a  wheel  have  his 
ears  cut  off? 

Poins.    Let  's  beat  him. 

Prince.  Look,  whether  the  withered  elder  hath  not 
his  poll  clawed  like  a  parrot. 

Falsfaff.    Kiss  me,  Doll. 

Prince.  Saturn  and  Venus  this  year  in  conjunction  ! 
what  says  the  almanac  to  that?  240 

Poins.  And,  look,  whether  the  fiery  Trigon,  his 
man,  be  not  lisping  to  his  master's  old  tables,  his  note- 
book, his  counsel-keeper. 

Falsfaff.   Thou  dost  give  me  flattering  busses. 

Doll.  By  my  troth,  I  kiss  thee  with  a  most  constant 
heart. 


Scene  IV]   Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV    71 

Fills /aff.    I  am  old,  I  am  old. 

Do/I.  I  love  thee  better  than  I  love  e'er  a  scurvy 
young  boy  of  them  all.  249 

Falstaff.  What  stuff  wilt  have  a  kirtle  of?  I  shall 
receive  money  o'  Thursday ;  thou  shalt  have  a  cap  to- 
morrow. A  merry  song,  come  !  it  grows  late.  Thou  'It 
forget  me  when  I  am  gone. 

Doll.  By  my  troth,  thou  'It  set  me  a-weeping,  an 
thou  sayest  so ;  prove  that  ever  I  dress  myself  hand- 
some till  thy  return.  —  Well,  hearken  the  end. 

Falstaff.    Some  sack,  Francis. 

Prince.  )  .  ^  _,  . 

„  .        >-    Anon,  anon,  sir.  \_Coining forwai-d. 

Falstaff.  Ha  !  a  bastard  son  of  the  king's  ?  —  And 
art  not  thou  Poins  his  brother?  260 

Prince.  Why,  thou  globe  of  sinful  continents,  what 
a  life  dost  thou  lead  ! 

Falstaff.  A  better  than  thou ;  I  am  a  gentleman, 
thou  art  a  drawer. 

Prince.  Very  true,  sir ;  and  I  come  to  draw  you  out 
by  the  ears. 

Hostess.  O,  the  Lord  preserve  thy  good  grace  !  by 
my  troth,  welcome  to  London.  —  Now,  the  Lord  bless 
that  sweet  face  of  thine  !  O  Jesu,  are  you  come  from 
Wales  ?  270 

Falstaff.  Thou  whoreson  mad  compound  of  maj- 
esty, by  this  light  flesh  and  corrupt  blood,  thou  art 
welcome. 

Doll.    How,  you  fat  fool  !  I  scorn  you. 


72     Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV       [Act  ii 

Poins.  j\Iy  lord,  he  will  drive  you  out  of  your  re- 
venge and  turn  all  to  a  merriment,  if  you  take  not  the 
heat. 

Prince.  You  whoreson  candle-mine,  you,  how  vilely 
did  you  speak  of  me  even  now  before  this  honest, 
virtuous,  civil  gentlewoman  !  2S0 

Hostess.    God's  blessing  of  your  good  heart  !  and  so 
she  is,  by  my  troth. 

Falstaff.    Didsi  thou  hear  me? 

Prince.  Yea,  and  you  knew  me,  as  you  did  when 
you  ran  away  by  Gadshill ;  you  knew  I  was  at  your 
back,  and  spoke  it  on  purpose  to  try  ray  patience. 

Falstaff.  No,  no,  no,  not  so ;  I  did  not  think  thou 
wast  within  hearing. 

Prince.  I  shall  drive  you  then  to  confess  the  wilful 
abuse ;  and  then  I  know  how  to  handle  you.  290 

Falstaff.    No  abuse,  Hal,  o'  mine  honour,  no  abuse. 

Prince.  Not  to  dispraise  me,  and  call  me  pantler 
and  bread-chipper  and  I  know  not  what? 

Falstaff.    No  abuse,  Hal. 

Poins.    No  abuse? 

Falstaff.  No  abuse,  Ned,  i'  the  world  ;  honest  Ned, 
none.  I  dispraised  him  before  the  wicked,  that  the 
wicked  might  not  fall  in  love  with  him;  in  which  do- 
ing, I  have  done  the  part  of  a  careful  friend  and  a 
true  subject,  and  thy  father  is  to  give  me  thanks  for  it. 
No  abuse,  Hal;  —  none,  Ned,  none  :  —  no,  faith,  boys, 
none.  3°^ 

Prince.   See  now,  whether  pure  fear  and  entire  cow- 


Scene  ivj    Second   Part  of  King  Henry  IV     73 

ardice  doth  not  make  thee  wrong  this  virtuous  gentle- 
woman to  close  with  us?  is  she  of  the  wicked  ?  is  thine 
hostess  here  of  the  wicked?  or  is  thy  boy  of  the 
wicked  ?  or  honest  Bardolph,  whose  zeal  burns  in  his 
nose,  of  the  wicked? 

Foiiis.    Answer,  thou  dead  elm,  answer.  309 

Falstaff.  The  fiend  hath  pricked  down  Bardolph 
irrecoverable  ;  and  his  face  is  Lucifer's  privy-kitchen, 
where  he  doth  nothing  but  roast  malt-worms.  For  the 
boy,  there  is  a  good  angel  about  him  ;  but  the  devil 
outbids  him  too. 

Prince.    For  the  women? 

Falstaff.  For  one  of  them,  she  is  in  hell  already,  and 
burns,  poor  soul.  For  the  other,  I  owe  her  money; 
and  whether  she  be  damned  for  that,  I  know  not. 

Hostess.    No,  I  warrant  you.  319 

Falstaff.  No,  I  think  thou  art  not ;  I  think  thou  art 
quit  for  that.  Marry,  there  is  another  indictment 
upon  thee,  for  suffering  flesh  to  be  eaten  in  thy  house, 
contrary  to  the  law ;  for  the  which  I  think  thou  wilt 
howl. 

Hostess.  All  victuallers  do  so  ;  what 's  a  joint  of 
mutton  or  two  in  a  whole  Lent? 

Prince.   You,  gentlewoman,  — 

Doll.    What  says  your  grace  ? 

Falstaff.  His  grace  says  that  which  his  flesh  rebels 
against.  \_Knocking  within. 

Hostess.  Who  knocks  so  loud  at  door  ?  —  Look  to 
the  door  there,  Francis.  333 


74    Second  Part  of  King  Henry    IV       [Act  il 


Enter  Peto 

Prince.    Peto,  how  now  !  what  news  ? 

Pcto.   The  king  your  father  is  at  Westminster ; 
And  there  are  twenty  weak  and  wearied  posts 
Come  from  the  north  ;  and,  as  I  came  along, 
I  met  and  overtook  a  dozen  captains. 
Bare-headed,  sweating,  knocking  at  the  taverns, 
And  asking  every  one  for  Sir  John  Falstaff. 

Prince.    By  heaven,  Poins,  I  feel  me  much  to  blame, 
So  idly  to  profane  the  precious  time  341 

When  tempest  of  commotion,  like  the  south 
Borne  with  black  vapour,  doth  begin  to  melt 
And  drop  upon  our  bare  unarmed  heads. 
Give  me  my  sword  and  cloak.  —  Falstaff,  good  night. 

\_Exemit  Prince  Henry,  Poins,  Peto,  and  Bardolph. 

Falstaff.  Now  comes  in  the  sweetest  morsel  of  the 
night,  and  we  must  hence  and  leave  it  unpicked. — 
\_Knocking  within.~\     More  knocking  at  the  door  !  — 

Re-enter  Bardolph 

How  now  !  what 's  the  matter? 

Bardolph.    You  must  away  to  court,  sir,  presently;    350 
A  dozen  captains  stay  at  door  for  you. 

Falstaff.  [  To  the  Page~\  Pay  the  musicians,  sirrah. 
—  Farewell,  hostess  ;  —  farewell,  Doll.  You  see,  my 
good  wenches,  how  men  of  merit  are  sought  after ;  the 
undeserved  may  sleep  when  the  man  of  action  is  called 


Scene  IV]    Second   Part  of  King  Henry  IV    75 

on.     Farewell,  good  wenches ;  if  I  be  not  sent  away 
post,  I  will  see  you  again  ere  I  go. 

Doll.  I  cannot  speak ;  if  my  heart  be  not  ready  to 
burst,  —  well,  sweet  Jack,  have  a  care  of  thyself. 

Falstaff.    Farewell,  farewell,  360 

\_Exeunt  Falstaff  and  Bardolph. 

Hostess.  Well,  fare  thee  well.  I  have  known  thee 
these  twenty-nine  years,  come  peascod-time  ;  but  an 
honester  and  truer-hearted  man,  —  well,  fare  thee  well. 

Bardolph.    [Wit/u'n']  Mistress  Tearsheet ! 

Hostess.    What 's  the  matter? 

Bardolph.  [  IVithiii]  Bid  Mistress  Tearsheet  come 
to  my  master. 

Hostess.  O,  run,  Doll,  run ;  run,  good  Doll ;  come. 
\_She  comes  blubbered.']     Yea,  will  you   come,   Doll? 

\_Exeunt. 


Falstaff  and  his  Recruits 


A 


ACT   III 

Scene  I.      Westminster.     The  Palace 

Enter  the  King  in  his  nightgown,  with  a  Page 

King.    Go  call  the  Earls  of  Surrey  and  of  Warwick  ; 
But,  ere  they  come,  bid  them  o'er-read  these  letters, 
And  well  consider  of  them.     Make  good  speed.  — 

\_Exit  Page. 
How  many  thousand  of  my  poorest  subjects 
Are  at  this  hour  asleep  !  —  O  Sleep,  Q  gentle  Sleep, 
Nature's  soft  nurse,  how  have  I  frighted  thee, 
That  thou  no  more  wilt  weigh  my  eyelids  down 
And  steep  my  senses  in  forgetfulness? 
Why  rather.  Sleep,  liest  thou  in  smoky  cribs, 

76 


Scene  I]     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV     77 

Upon  uneasy  pallets  stretching  thee  10 

And  hush'd  with  buzzing  night-flies  to  thy  slumber, 

Than  in  the  perfum'd  chambers  of  the  great, 

Under  the  canopies  of  costly  state, 

And  luU'd  with  sound  of  sweetest  melody? 

O  thou  dull  god,  why  liest  thou  with  the  vile 

In  loathsome  beds,  and  leav'st  the  kingly  couch 

A  watch-case  or  a  common  larum-bell? 

Wilt  thou  upon  the  high  and  giddy  mast 

Seal  up  the  ship-boy's  eyes,  and  rock  his  brains 

In  cradle  of  the  rude  imperious  surge  20 

And  in  the  visitation  of  the  winds, 

Who  take  the  ruffian  billows  by  the  top, 

Curling  their  monstrous  heads  and  hanging  them 

With  deafening  clamour  in  the  slippery  clouds, 

That  with  the  hurly  death  itself  awakes  ? 

Canst  thou,  O  partial  Sleep,  give  thy  repose 

To  the  wet  sea-boy  in  an  hour  so  rude, 

And  in  the  calmest  and  most  stillest  night, 

With  all  appliances  and  means  to  boot,  / 

Deny  it  to  a  king?     Then,  happy  low,  lie  down  !  30 

Uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears  a  crown. 


N 


Enter  Warwick  and  Surrey 

Warwick.    Many  good  morrows  to  your  majesty  ! 
Ki?ig.    Is  it  good  morrow,  lords? 
Warwick.    'T  is  one  o'clock,  and  past. 
King.    Why,  then,  good  morrow  to  you  all,  my  lords. 
Have  you  read  o'er  the  letters  that  I  sent  you  ? 


7 8     Second   Part  of  King   Henry   IV     [Act  iii 

Wanvick.    W'e  have,  my  liege. 

King.   Then  you  perceive  the  body  of  our  kingdom 
How  foul  it  is  ;  what  rank  diseases  grow, 
And  with  what  danger,  near  the  heart  of  it.  40 

IVaj-wick.    It  is  but  as  a  body  yet  distemper'd, 
Which  to  his  former  strength  may  be  restor'd 
With  good  advice  and  little  medicine. 
My  Lord  Northumberland  will  soon  be  cool'd. 

Kitig.   O  God  !  that  one  might  read  the  book  of  fate, 
And  see  the  revolution  of  the  times 
Make  mountains  level,  and  the  continent, 
Weary  of  solid  firmness,  melt  itself 
Into  the  sea  !  and,  other  times,  to  see 
The  beachy  girdle  of  the  ocean  50 

Too  wide  for  Neptune's  hips ;  how  chances  mock. 
And  changes  fill  the  cup  of  alteration 
With  divers  liquors  !     O,  if  this  were  seen. 
The  happiest  youth,  viewing  his  progress  through, 
What  perils  past,  what  crosses  to  ensue. 
Would  shut  the  book,  and  sit  him  down  and  die. 
'T  is  not  ten  years  gone 

Since  Richard  and  Northumberland,  great  friends. 
Did  feast  together,  and  in  two  years  after 
Were  they  at  wars  ;  it  is  but  eight  years  since  60 

This  Percy  was  the  man  nearest  my  soul. 
Who  like  a  brother  toil'd  in  my  affairs 
And  laid  his  love  and  life  under  my  foot. 
Yea,  for  my  sake,  even  to  the  eyes  of  Richard 
Gave  him  defiance.     But  which  of  you  was  by  — 


Scene  I]     Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV     79 

You,  cousin  Nevil,  as  I  may  remember —  [To  Warwick.'] 

When  Richard,  with  his  eye  brimful  of  tears. 

Then  check'd  and  rated  by  Northumberland, 

Did  speak  these  words,  now  prov'd  a  prophecy? 

'  Northumberland,  thou  ladder  by  the  which  70 

My  cousin  Bolingbroke  ascends  my  throne  ; '  — 

Though  then,  God  knows,  I  had  no  such  intent, 

But  that  necessity  so  bow'd  the  state 

That  I  and  greatness  were  compell'd  to  kiss. 

'The  time  shall  come,'  thus  did  he  follow  it, 

'  The  time  will  come  that  foul  sin,  gathering  head. 

Shall  break  into  corruption  ; '  —  so  went  on, 

Foretelling  this  same  time's  condition 

And  the  division  of  our  amity. 

IVarwick.    There  is  a  history  in  all  men's  lives,  80 

Figuring  the  nature  of  the  times  deceas'd. 
The  which  observ'd,  a  man  may  prophesy, 
With  a  near  aim,  of  the  main  chance  of  things 
As  yet  not  come  to  hfe,  which  in  their  seeds 
And  weak  beginnings  lie  intreasured. 
Such  things  become  the  hatch  and  brood  of  time ; 
And  by  the  necessary  form  of  this 
King  Richard  might  create  a  perfect  guess 
That  great  Northumberland,  then  false  to  him. 
Would  of  that  seed  grow  to  a  greater  falseness,  90 

^Vhich  should  not  find  a  ground  to  root  upon 
Unless  on  you. 

King.  Are  these  things  then  necessities? 

Then  let  us  meet  them  like  necessities ; 


8o     Second   Part  of  King   Henry   TV"      [Act  ill 

And  that  same  word  even  now  cries  out  on  us. 
They  say  the  bishop  and  Northumberland 
Are  fifty  thousand  strong. 

War7aick.  It  cannot  be,  my  lord  ; 

Rumour  doth  double,  like  the  voice  and  echo, 
The  numbers  of  the  fear'd.  —  Please  it  your  grace 
To  go  to  bed.     Upon  my  soul,  my  lord, 
The  powers  that  you  already  have  sent  forth  loo 

Shall  bring  this  prize  in  very  easily. 
To  comfort  you  the  more,  I  have  receiv'd 
A  certain  instance  tliat  Glendower  is  dead. 
Your  majesty  hath  been  this  fortnight  ill. 
And  these  unseason'd  hours  perforce  must  add 
Unto  your  sickness. 

King.  I  will  take  your  counsel ; 

And  were  these  inward  wars  once  out  of  hand, 
^Ve  would,  dear  lords,  unto  the  Holy  Land.     \_Exeunt. 

Scene   II.       Gloucestershire.      Before  Justice  Shalloiv's 

House 

Enter  Shallow  and  Silence,  meeting ;  Mouldy,  Shadow, 
Wart,  Feeble,  Bullcalf,  and  Servants  with  them 

SJialhnu.  Come  on,  come  on,  come  on,  sir  ;  give  me 
your  hand,  sir,  give  me  your  hand,  sir.  An  early 
stirrer,  by  the  rood  !  And  how  doth*  my  good  cousin 
Silence  ? 

Silence.   Good  morrow,  good  cousin  Shallow. 

Shallow.    And   how   doth    my   cousin,   your    bed- 


Scene  II]    Second   Part  of  King   Henry   IV     8i 

fellow?  and  your  fairest  daughter  and  mine,  my  god- 
daughter Ellen? 

Silence.    Alas,  a  black  ousel,  cousin  Shallow  ! 

Shallow.    By  yea  and  nay,  sir,  I  dare  say  my  cousin  lo 
William  is  become  a  good  scholar;  he  is  at  Oxford 
still,  is  he  not? 

Silence.    Indeed,  sir,  to  my  cost. 

Shallow.  He  must,  then,  to  the  inns  o'  court  shortly. 
I  was  once  of  Clement's  Imi,  where  I  think  they  will 
talk  of  mad  Shallow  yet. 

Silence.   You  were  called  lusty  Shallow  then,  cousin. 

Shallow.  By  the  mass,  I  was  called  any  thing;  and 
I  would  have  done  any  thing  indeed  too,  and  roundly 
too.  There  was  I,  and  little  John  Doit  of  Stafford-  20 
shire,  and  black  George  Barnes,  and  Francis  Pickbone, 
and  Will  Squele,  a  Cotswold  man ;  you  had  not  four 
such  swinge-bucklers  in  all  the  inns  o'  court  again. 
Then  was  Jack  Falstaff,  now  Sir  John,  a  boy,  and  page 
to  Thomas  Mowbray,  Duke  of  Norfolk. 

Silence.  This  Sir  John,  cousin,  that  comes  hither 
anon  about  soldiers? 

Shallow.  The  same  Sir  John,  the  very  same.  I  saw 
him  break  Skogan's  head  at  the  court-gate,  when  a'  was 
a  crack  not  thus  high  ;  and  the  very  same  day  did  I  fight 
with  one  Sampson  Stockfish,  a  fruiterer,  behind  Gray's 
Inn.  •  Jesu,  Jesu,  the  mad  days  that  I  have  spent !  and 
to  see  how  many  of  my  old  acquaintance  are  dead  ! 

Silence.   We  shall  all  follow,  cousin. 

Shallow.    Certain,  't  is  certain ;  very  sure,  very  sure. 

2  HENRY  IV  —  6 


82     Second  Part  of  King   Henry   IV      [Act  HI 

Death,  as  the  Psahiiist  saith,  is  certain  to  all ;  all  shall 
die.  —  How  a  good  yoke  of  bullocks  at  Stamford  fair? 

Silence.    By  my  troth,  I  was  not  there. 

Shallow.  Death  is  certain.  —  Is  old  Double  of  your 
town  living  yet?  4° 

Silence.    Dead,  sir. 

Shallow.  Jesu,  Jesu,  dead  !  a'  drew  a  good  bow ; 
and  dead  !  a'  shot  a  fine  shoot ;  John  o'  Gaunt  loved 
him  well,  and  betted  much  money  on  his  head.  Dead  I 
a'  would  have  clapped  i'  the  clout  at  twelve  score,  and 
carried  you  a  forehand  shaft  at  fourteen  and  fourteen 
and  a  half,  that  it  would  have  done  a  man's  heart  good 
to  see.  —  How  a  score  of  ewes  now? 

Silence.  Thereafter  as  they  be ;  a  score  of  good 
ewes  may  be  worth  ten  pounds.  50 

Shalhnu.    And  is  old  Double  dead? 

Silence.  Here  come  two  of  Sir  John  Falstaff  s  men, 
as  I  think. 

Enter  Bardolph  and  one  wifh  him 

Bardolph.  Good  morrow,  honest  gentlemen.  I 
beseech  you,  which  is  Justice  Shallow? 

Shallow.  I  am  Robert  Shallow,  sir ;  a  poor  esquire 
of  this  county,  and  one  of  the  king's  justices  of  the 
peace.     What  is  your  good  pleasure  with  me  ? 

Bardolph.    My  captain,  sir,  comrnends  him  to  you ; 
my  captain.  Sir  John   Falstaff,  a  tall  gentleman,  by  60 
heaven,  and  a  most  gallant  leader. 

Shallow.    He  greets   me  well,  sir.     I  knew  him  a 


Scene  II]   Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV     83 

good  backsword  man.     How  doth  the  good  knight? 
may  I  ask  how  my  lady  his  wife  doth? 

Bardolph.  Sir,  pardon  ;  a  soldier  is  better  accom- 
modated than  with  a  wife. 

Shallow,    It  is  well  said,  in  faith,  sir ;  and  it  is  well 
said  indeed  too.     Better  accommodated  !  it  is  good  ; 
yea,  indeed,  is  it ;  good  phrases  are  surely,  and  ever 
were,  very  commendable.     Accommodated  !    it  comes  70^- 
of  accommodo  ;  very  good,    a  good  phrase. 

Bardolph.  Pardon  me,  sir;  I  have  heard  the  word. 
Phrase  call  you  it?  by  this  good  day,  I  know  not  the 
phrase ;  but  I  will  maintain  the  word  with  my  sword 
to  be  a  soldier-like  word,  and  a  word  of  exceeding 
good  command,  by  heaven.  Accommodated  ;  that  is, 
when  a  man  is,  as  they  say,  accommodated  ;  or  when 
a  man  is,  being,  whereby  a'  may  be  thought  to  be 
accommodated,  which  is  an  excellent  thing. 

Shallota.    It  is  very  just.  —  80 

E filer  Falstaff 
Look,  here    comes  good    Sir  John.  —  Give  me  your 
good  hand,  give  me  your  worship's  good  hand.     By 
my  troth,  you  look  well  and  bear  your  years  very  well ; 
welcome,  good  Sir  John. 

Falstaff.  I  am  glad  to  see  you  well,  good  Master 
Robert  Shallow.  —  Master  Surecard,  as  I  think? 

Shallow.  No,  Sir  John  ;  it  is  my  cousin  Silence,  in 
commission  with  me. 

Falstaff.  Good  Master  Silence,  it  well  befits  you 
should  be  of  the  peace,  90 


84     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV     [Act  iii 

Silence.    Your  good  worship  is  welcome. 

Fills  faff.  Fie  !  this  is  hot  weather,  gentlemen.  — 
Have  you  provided  me  here  half  a  dozen  sufficient 
men? 

Shallow.    Marry,  have  we,  sir.     Will  you  sit? 

Falstaff.    Let  me  see  them,  I  beseech  you. 

Shallow.  Where  's  the  roll  ?  where 's  the  roll?  where 's 
the  roll?  Let  me  see,  let  me  see,  let  me  see.  So,  so, 
so,  so,  so,  so,  so  ;  yea,  marry,  sir.  —  Ralph  Mouldy  ! 
—  Let  them  appear  as  I  call ;  let  them  do  so,  let  them 
do  so.  —  Let  me  see  ;  where  is  Mouldy  !  loi 

Mouldy.    Here,  an  't  please  you. 

Shallow.  What  think  you.  Sir  John?  a  good-limbed 
"fellow  ;  young,  strong,  and  of  good  friends. 

Falstaff.    Is  thy  name  Mouldy? 

Mouldy.   Yea,  an  't  please  you, 

Falstaff.    'T  is  the  more  time  thou.vvert  used. 

Shallow.  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  most  excellent,  i'  faith  !  things 
that  are  mouldy  lack  use  ;  very  singular  good  !  —  In 
faith,  well  said,  Sir  John,  very  well  said.  no 

Falstaff.    Prick  him. 

Mouldy.  I  was  pricked  well  enough  before,  an  you 
could  have  let  me  alone  ;  my  old  dame  will  be  undone 
now  for  one  to  do  her  husbandry  and  her  drudgery. 
You  need  not  to  have  pricked  me;  there  are  other 
men  fitter  to  go  out  than  I. 

Falstaff.  Go  to ;  peace.  Mouldy  !  you  shall  go. 
Mouldy,  it  is  time  you  were  spent. 

Mouldy.    Spent ! 


Scene  II]    Second   Part  of  King  Henry   IV     85 

Shallow.  Peace,  fellow,  peace  !  stand  aside  ;  know 
you  where  you  are?  —  For  the  other,  Sir  John  ;  let  me 
see.  —  Simon  Shadow  !  122 

Falstaff.  Yea,  marry,  let  me  have  him  to  sit  under  ; 
he  's  Hke  to  be  a  cold  soldier. 

Shallow.    Where  's  Shadow? 

Shadow.    Here,  sir. 

Falstaff.    Shadow,  whose  son  art  thou? 

Shadow.    My  mother's  son,  sir. 

Falstaff.  Thy  mother's  son  !  like  enough,  and  thy 
father's  shadow ;  so  the  son  of  the  female  is  the 
shadow  of  the  male.  It  is  often  so,  indeed ;  but 
much  of  the  f;ither's  substance  !  132 

Shallow.    Do  you  like  him.  Sir  John  ? 

Falstaff.  Shadow  will  serve  for  summer  ;  prick  him, 
for  we  have  a  number  of  shadows  to  fill  up  the 
muster-book. 

Shallota.    Thomas  Wart ! 

Falstaff.    Where  's  he? 

Wart.    Here,  sir. 

Falstaff.    Is  thy  name  Wart  ?  140 

Wart.   Yea,  sir. 

Falstaff.   Thou  art  a  very  ragged  wart. 

Shallow.    Shall  I  prick  him  down.  Sir  John? 

Falstaff.  It  were  superfluous,  for  his  apparel  is 
built  upon  his  back  and  the  whole  frame,  stands  upon 
pins  ;  prick  him  no  more. 

Shallow.  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  you  can  do  it,  sir,  you  can  do 
it ;  I  commend  you  well.  —  Francis  Feeble  ! 


86     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV     [Act  ill 

Feeble.    Here,  sir. 

Fahtaff.    What  trade  art  thou,  Feeble?  150 

Feeble.     A  woman's  tailor,  sir. 

Shallow.    Shall  I  prick  him,  sir? 

Fahtaff.  You  may ;  but  if  he  had  been  a  man's 
tailor,  he  'd  ha'  pricked  you.  —  Wilt  thou  make  as 
many  holes  in  an  enemy's  battle  as  thou  hast  done  in 
a  woman's  petticoat? 

Feeb^.  I  will  do  my  good  will,  sir ;  you  can  have 
no  more. 

Falstaff.    Well  said,  good  woman's  tailor  !  well  said, 
courageous   Feeble  !  thou  wilt  be  as  valiant   as    the  160 
wrathful  dove  or  most  magnanimous  mouse.  —  Prick 
the  woman's  tailor  well,  Master  Shallow ;  deep,  Master 
Shallow. 

Feeble.    I  would  Wart  might  have  gone,  sir. 

Falstaff.  I  would  thou  wert  a  man's  tailor,  that 
thou  mightst  mend  him  and  make  him  fit  to  go.  —  I 
cannot  put  him  to  a  private  soldier  that  is  the  leader 
of  so  many  thousands  ;  let  that  suffice,  most  forcible 
Feeble. 

Feeble.    It  shall  suffice,  sir.  170 

Falstaff.  I  am  bound  to  thee,  reverend  Feeble.  — 
Who  is  next? 

Shallow.    Peter  Bullcalf  o'  the  green  ! 

Falstaff.    Yea,  marry,  let 's  see  Bullcalf. 

Bullcalf.    Here,  sir. 

Falstaff.  Fore  God,  a  likely  fellow  !  —  Come,  prick 
me  Bullcalf  till  he  roar  agaia 


Scene  II]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV     87 

BuUcalf.    O  Lord  !  good  my  lord  captain,  — 

Falstaff.  What,  dost  thou  roar  before  thou  art 
pricked  ?  180 

Bulkalf.    O  Lord,  sir  !  I  am  a  diseased  man. 

Falstaff.   What  disease  hast  thou? 

Bullcalf.  A  whoreson  cold,  sir,  a  cough,  sir,  which 
I  caught  with  ringing  in  the  king's  affairs  upon  his 
coronation-day,  sir. 

Falstaff.  Come,  thou  shalt  go  to  the  wars  in  a 
gown ;  we  will  have  away  thy  cold,  and  I  will  take 
such  order  that  thy  friends  shall  ring  for  thee.  —  Is 
here  all? 

Shallow.  Here  is  two  more  called  than  your  num- 
ber, you  must  have  but  four  here,  sir ;  and  so,  I  pray 
you,  go  in  with  me  to  dinner.  192 

Falstaff.  Come,  I  will  go  drink  with  you,  but  I 
cannot  tarry  dinner.  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  by  my 
troth.  Master  Shallow. 

Shallow.  O,  Sir  John,  do  you  remember  since 
we  lay  all  night  in  the  windmill  in  Saint  George's 
field? 

Falstaff.  No  more  of  that,  good  Master  Shallow, 
no  more  of  that.  200 

Shallow.  Ha  !  't  was  a  merry  night.  And  is  Jane 
Nightwork  alive? 

Falstaff.    She  lives,  Master  Shallow. 

Shallow.    She  never  could  away  with  me. 

Falstaff.  Never,  never;  she  would  always  say  she 
could  not  abide  Master  Shallow. 


88     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV      [Act  ill 

Shallow.  By  the  mass,  I  could  anger  her  to  the 
heart.     Doth  she  hold  her  own  well? 

Falstaff.    Old,  old,  Master  Shallow. 

Shallow.    Nay,  she  must  be  old,  she  cannot  choose  210 
but  be  old  ;  certain  she  's  old,  and  had  Robin  Night- 
work  by  old  Nightwork  before  I  came  to  Clement's 
Inn. 

Silence.   That 's  fifty-five  year  ago. 

Shallow.  Ha,  cousin  Silence,  that  thou  hadst  seen 
that  that  this  knight  and  I  have  seen  !  —  Ha,  Sir  John, 
said  I  well? 

Falstaff.  We  have  heard  the  chimes  at  midnight, 
Master  Shallow. 

Shallow.   That   we    have,    that   we    have,  that   we  220 
have ;  in  faith,  Sir  John,  we  have  ;  our  watchword  was 
'Hem,  boys!'  —  Come,  let 's  to  dinner;  come,  let 's 
to  dinner.  —  Jesu,  the   days    that  we    have    seen  !  — 
Come,  come.  \_Exeitnl  Falstaff  and  the  Justices. 

Bullcalf.  Good  Master  Corporate  Bardolph,  stand 
my  friend ;  and  here 's  four  Harry  ten  shillings  in 
French  crowns  for  you.  In  very  truth,  sir,  I  had  as 
lief  be  hanged,  sir,  as  go ;  and  yet,  for  mine  own  part, 
sir,  I  do  not  care,  but  rather  because  I  am  unwilling, 
and,  for  mine  own  part,  have  a  desire  to  stay  with  my  230 
friends  ;  else,  sir,  I  did  not  care,  for  mine  own  part, 
so  much. 

Bardolph.    Go  to  ;  stand  aside. 

Mouldy.  And,  good  master  corporal  captain,  for  my 
old  dame's  sake,  stand  my  friend.     She  has  nobody 


Scene  II]    Second   Part  of  King  Henry  IV     89 

to  do  any  thing  about  her  when  I  am  gone ;  and  she 
is  old,  and  cannot  help  herself.  You  shall  have  forty, 
sir. 

Bardolph.    Go  to  ;  stand  aside. 

Feeble.  By  my  troth,  I  care  not ;  a  man  can  die  but  240 
once;  we  owe  God  a  death.  I '11  ne'er  bear  a  base 
mind  ;  an  't  be  my  destiny,  so  ;  an  't  be  not,  so.  No 
man  is  too  good  to  serve 's  prince  ;  and  let  it  go 
which  way  it  will,  he  that  dies  this  year  is  quit  for  the 
next. 

Bardolph.    Well  said  ;  thou  'rt  a  good  fellow. 

Feeble.    Faith,  I  '11  bear  no  base  mind. 

Re-enter  Falstaff  and  the  Justices 

Falstaff.    Come,  sir,  which  men  shall  I  have? 

Shallow.    Four  of  which  you  please. 

Bardolph.  Sir,  a  word  with  you.  —  I  have  three 
pound  to  free  Mouldy  and  Bullcalf.  251 

Falstaff.    Go  to  ;  well, 

Shallozv.  Come,  Sir  John,  which  four  will  you 
have? 

Falstaff.    Do  you  choose  for  me. 

Shallow.  Marry,  then.  Mouldy,  Bullcalf,  Feeble, 
and  Shadow. 

Falstaff.  Mouldy  and  Bullcalf.  —  For  you,  Mouldy, 
stay  at  home  till  you  are  past  service  ;  —  and  for  your 
part,  Bullcalf,  grow  till  you  come  unto  it;  I  will  none 
of  you.  261 

Shallow.    Sir  John,  Sir  John,  do  not  yourself  wrong; 


90     Second   Part  of  King  Henry   IV     [Act  ill 

they  are  your  likeliest  men,  and    I    would  have  you 
served  with  the  best. 

Falstaff.  Will  you  tell  me,  Master  Shallow,  how  to 
choose  a  man?  Care  I  for  the  limb,  the  thews,  the 
stature,  bulk,  and  big  assemblance  of  a  man  !  Give 
me  the  spirit,  Master  Shallow.  —  Here's  Wart ;  you 
see  what  a  ragged  appearance  it  is ;  a'  shall  charge 
you  and  discharge  you  with  the  motion  of  a  pewterer's  270 
hammer,  come  off  and  on  swifter  than  he  that  gibbets 
on  the  brewer's  bucket.  —  And  this  same  half-faced 
fellow,  Shadow ;  give  me  this  man.  He  presents  no 
mark  to  the  enemy ;  the  foeman  may  with  as  great 
aim  level  at  the  edge  of  a  penknife.  And  for  a  re- 
treat, —  how  swiftly  will  this  Feeble  the  woman's 
tailor  run  off !  O,  give  me  the  spare  men,  and  spare 
me  the  great  ones.  —  Put  me  a  caliver  into  Wart's 
hand,  Bardolph. 

Bardolph.    Hold,  Wart,  traverse  ;  thus,  thus,  thus.    280 

Falstaff.  Come,  manage  me  your  caliver.  So : 
very  well ;  go  to ;  very  good,  exceeding  good.  O, 
give  me  always  a  little,  lean,  old,  chopt,  bald  shot.  — 
Well  said,  i'  faith,  Wart,  thou  'rt  a  good  scab ;  hold, 
there  's  a  tester  for  thee. 

Shallow.  He  is  not  his  craft's  master ;  he  doth  not 
do  it  right.  I  remember  at  Mile-end  Green,  when  I 
lay  at  Clement's  Inn, —  I  was  then  Sir  Dagonet  in 
Arthur's  show,  —  there  was  a  little  quiver  fellow,  and  a' 
would  manage  you  his  piece  thus ;  and  a'  would  about  290 
and  about,  and  come  you  in  and  come  you  in  \  '  rah. 


Scene  II]   Second  Part  of  King   Henry   IV    91 

tah,  tah,'  would  a'  say,-  'bounce'  would  a'  say;  and 
away  again  would  a'  go,  and  again  would  a'  come.  —  I 
shall  ne'er  see  such  a  fellow. 

Falstaff.  These  fellows  will  do  well,  Master  Shal- 
low. —  Farewell,  Master  Silence  ;  I  will  not  use  many 
words  with  you.  —  Fare  you  well,  gentlemen  both;  I 
thank  you.  I  must  a  dozen  mile  to-night.  —  Bar- 
dolph,  giv^e  the  soldiers  coats. 

Shallow.    Sir  John,  the  Lord  bless  you  !    God  pros-  300 
per  your  affairs  !    God  send  us  peace  !    At  your  return 
visit  our  house,  let  our  old  acquaintance  be  renewed ; 
peradventure  I  will  with  ye  to  the  court. 

Falstaff.  Fore  God,  I  would  you  would.  Master 
Shallow. 

Shallow.  Go  to ;  I  have  spoke  at  a  word.  God 
keep  you. 

Falstaff.  Fare  you  well,  gentle  gentlemen.  \_Exeunt 
Justices.~\  —  On,  Bardolph  ;  lead  the  men  away.  \_Exe- 
unt  Bardolph,  Recruits,  &c.]  As  I  return,  I  will  310 
fetch  off  these  justices  ;  I  do  see  the  bottom  of  Justice 
Shallow.  Lord,  Lord,  how  subject  we  old  men  are  to 
this  vice  of  lying  !  This  same  starved  justice  hath 
done  nothing  but  prate  to  me  of  the  wildness  of  his 
youth,  and  the  feats  he  hath  done  about  Turnbull 
Street ;  and  every  third  word  a  lie,  duer  paid  to  the 
hearer  than  the  Turk's  tribute.  I  do  remember  him 
at  Clement's  Lm  like  a  man  made  after  supper  of  a 
cheese-paring ;  when  a'  was  naked,  he  was,  for  all  the 
world,  like  a  forked  radish,  with  a  head  fantastically  320 


92     Second   Part  of  King  Henry   IV     [Act  iii 

carved  upon  it  with  a  knife.     A'  was  so  forlorn  that 
his  dimensions  to  any  thick  sight  were  invincible ;  a' 
was  the  very  genius  of  famine.     A'  came  ever  in  the 
rearward  of  the  flishion,  and  sung  those  tunes  that  he 
heard  the  carmen  whistle,  and  sware  they  were  his 
fancies  or  his  good-nights.     And  now  is  this  Vice's 
dagger   become  a  squire,  and  talks  as  familiarly  of 
John  o'  Gaunt  as  if  he  had  been  sworn  brother  to  him  ; 
and  I  '11  be  sworn  a'  ne'er  saw  him  but  once  in  the 
Tilt-yard,  and  then  he   burst   his  head  for  crowding  330 
among  the  marshal's  men.     I  saw  it,  and  told  John 
o'  Gaunt  he  beat  his  own  name,  for  you  might  have 
thrust  him  and  all  his  apparel  into  an  eel-skin,  the 
case  of  a  treble  hautboy  was  a  mansion  for  him,  a 
court ;  and  now  has  he  land  and  beefs.     Well,  I  '11  be 
acquainted  with  him  if  I  return ;  and  it  shall  go  hard 
but  I  will  make  him  a  philosopher's  two  stones  to  me. 
If  the  young  dace  be  a  bait  for  the  old  pike,  I  see  no 
reason  in  the  law  of  nature  but  I  may  snap  at  him. 
Let  time  shape,  and  there  an  end,  [_Exii.  340 


Gaultree  Forest 


ACT   IV 

Scene  I.      Yorkshire.     Gaultree  Foi-est 

Enter  the  Archbishop  of  York,  Mowbray,  Hastings, 

and  others 

Archbishop.    What  is  this  forest  call'd? 

Hastings.    'T  is  Gaultree  Forest,  an  't  shall  please  your 

grace. 
Archbishop.    Here  stand,  my  lords ;  and  send  discov- 
erers forth 
To  know  the  numbers  of  our  enemies. 
Hastings.    We  have  sent  forth  already. 
Archbishop.  'T  is  well  done.  — 

My  friends  and  brethren  in  these  great  affairs, 

93 


94     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV      [Act  IV 

I  must  acquaint  you  that  I  have  receiv'd 

New-dated  letters  from  Northumberland, 

Their  cold  intent,  tenor  ami  substance,  thus : 

Here  doth  he  wish  his  person,  with  such  powers  lo 

As  might  hold  sortance  with  his  quality. 

The  which  he  could  not  levy ;  whereupon 

He  is  retir'd,  to  ripe  his  growing  fortunes, 

To  Scotland,  and  concludes  in  hearty  prayers 

That  your  attempts  may  overlive  the  hazard 

And  fearful  meeting  of  their  opposite. 

Mowbray.   Thus  do  the  hopes  we  have  in  him  touch 
ground 
And  dash  themselves  to  pieces. 

Enter  a  Messenger 

Hastings.  Now,  what  news? 

Messenger.    West  of  this  forest,  scarcely  off  a  mile, 
In  goodly  form  comes  on  the  enemy  ;  20 

And,  by  the  ground  they  hide,  I  judge  their  number 
Upon  or  near  the  rate  of  thirty  thousand. 

Mowbray.    The  just  proportion  that  we  gave  them  out. 
Let  us  sway  on  and  face  them  in  the  field. 

Archbishop.    What    well-appointed    leader    fronts    us 
here  ? 

Enter  Westmoreland 

Mowbray.    I  think  it  is  my  Lord  of  Westmoreland. 
Westmoreland.    Health   and    fair    greeting    from    our 
general, 
The  prince,  Lord  John  and  Duke  of  Lancaster. 


Scene  I]     Second  Part  of  King  Henry   IV     95 

Archbishop.  Say  on,  my  Lord  of  Westmoreland,  in  peace  : 
What  doth  concern  your  coming  ? 

Westmoreland.  Then,  my  lord,        30  ■ 

Unto  your  grace  do  I  in  chief  address 
The  substance  of  my  speech.     If  that  rebelhon 
Came  like  itself,  in  base  and  abject  routs, 
Led  on  by  bloody  youth,  guarded  with  rags. 
And  countenanc'd  by  boys  and  beggary,  — • 
I  say,  if  damn'd  commotion  so  appear'd. 
In  his  true,  native,  and  most  proper  shape. 
You,  reverend  father,  and  these  noble  lords 
Had  not  been  here,  to  dress  the  ugly  form 
Of  base  and  bloody  insurrection  4° 

With  your  fair  honours.  —  You,  lord  archbishop, 
Whose  see  is  by  a  civil  peace  maintain'd. 
Whose  beard  the  silver  hand  of  peace  hath  touch'd. 
Whose  learning  and  good  letters  peace  hath  tutor'd, 
Whose  white  investments  figure  innocence. 
The  dove  and  very  blessed  spirit  of  peace. 
Wherefore  do  you  so  ill  translate  yourself 
Out  of  the  speech  of  peace  that  bears  such  grace 
Into  the  harsh  and  boisterous  tongue  of  war. 
Turning  your  books  to  greaves,  your  ink  to  blood,  50 

Your  pens  to  lances,  and  your  tongue  divine 
To  a  loud  trumpet  and  a  point  of  war? 

Archbishop.    Wherefore   do  I    this?    so    the  question 
stands. 
Briefly  to  this  end  :  we  are  all  diseas'd. 
And  with  our  surfeiting  and  wanton  hours 


96     Second   Part  of  King  Henry   IV      [Act  IV 

Have  brought  ourselves  into  a  burning  fever, 

And  we  must  bleed  for  it,  of  which  disease 

Our  late  king,  Richard,  being  infected,  died. 

But,  my  most  noble  Lortl  of  \V'estmoreland, 

I  take  not  on  me  here  as  a  physician,  60 

Nor  do  I  as  an  enemy  to  peace 

Troop  in  the  throngs  of  miHtary  men. 

But  rather  show  awhile  like  fearful  war, 

To  diet  rank  minds  sick  of  happiness 

And  purge  the  obstructions  which  begin  to  stop 

Our  very  veins  of  life.     Hear  me  more  plainly  : 

I  have  in  equal  balance  justly  weigh'd 

What  wrongs  our  arms  may  do,  what  wrongs  we  suffer. 

And  find  our  griefs  heavier  than  our  offences. 

We  see  which  way  the  stream  of  time  doth  run,  70 

And  are  enforc'd  from  our  most  quiet  sphere 

By  the  rough  torrent  of  occasion, 

And  have  the  summary  of  all  our  griefs. 

When  times  shall  serve,  to  show  in  articles 

Which  long  ere  this  we  offer'd  to  the  king 

And  might  by  no  suit  gain  our  audience. 

When  we  are  wrong'd  and  would  unfold  our  griefs, 

We  are  denied  access  unto  his  person 

Even  by  those  men  that  most  have  done  us  wrong. 

The  dangers  of  the  days  but  newly  gone,  80 

Whose  memory  is  written  on  the  earth 

With  yet  appearing  blood,  and  the  examples 

Of  every  minute's  instance,  present  now. 

Hath  put  us  in  these  ill-beseeming  arms. 


Scene  I]     Second   Part  of  King  Henry    IV     97 

Not  to  break  peace  or  any  branch  of  it, 
But  to  establish  here  a  peace  indeed, 
Concurring  both  in  name  and  quahty. 

Westi7ioreland.  When  ever  yet  was  your  appeal  denied  ? 
Wherein  have  you  been  galled  by  the  king? 
What  peer  hath  been  suborn'd  to  grate  on  you,  90 

That  you  should  seal  this  lawless  bloody  book 
Of  forg'd  rebellion  with  a  seal  divine 
And  consecrate  commotion's  bitter  edge? 

Archbishop.    My  brother  general,  the  commonwealth, 
To  brother  born  an  household  cruelty, 
I  make  my  quarrel  in  particular. 

Westmoreland.    There  is  no  need  of  any  such  redress ; 
Or  if  there  were,  it  not  belongs  to  you. 

Mowbray.    ^Vhy  not  to  him  in  part,  and  to  us  all 
That  feel  the  bruises  of  the  days  before,  100 

And  suffer  the  condition  of  these  times 
To  lay  a  heavy  and  unequal  hand 
Upon  our  honours? 

IVestmorehmd.        O,  my  good  Lord  Mowbray, 
Construe  the  times  to  their  necessities. 
And  you  shall  say  indeed,  it  is  the  time, 
And  not  the  king,  that  doth  you  injuries. 
Yet  for  your  part,  it  not  appears  to  me, 
Either  from  the  king  or  in  the  present  time, 
That  you  should  have  an  inch  of  any  ground 
To  build  a  grief  on.     Were  you  not  restor'd  no 

To  all  the  Duke  of  Norfolk's  signories. 
Your  noble  and  right  well  remember'd  father's? 

2   HENKV    IV  —  7 


98     Second   Part  of  King  Henry   IV      [Act  iv 

Mowbray.    What  thing,  in  honour,  had  my  father  lost, 
That  need  to  be  reviv'd  and  breath'd  in  me  ? 
The  king  that  lov'd  him,  as  the  state  stood  then, 
Was  force  perforce  compell'd  to  banish  him ; 
And  then  that  Henry  Bohngbroke  and  he, 
Being  mounted  and  both  roused  in  their  seats, 
Their  neighing  coursers  daring  of  the  spur, 
Their  armed  staves  in  charge,  their  beavers  down,         120 
Their  eyes  of  fire  sparkling  through  sights  of  steel, 
And  the  loud  trumpet  blowing  them  together, 
Then,  then,  when  there  was  nothing  could  have  stay'd 
My  father  from  the  breast  of  Bolingbroke, — 
O,  when  the  king  did  throw  his  warder  down. 

His  own  life  hung  upon  the  staff  he  threw ; 
Then  threw  he  down  himself  and  all  their  lives 
That  by  indictment  and  by  dint  of  sword 

Have  since  miscarried  under  Bolingbroke. 

Westmoreland.    You  speak,  Lord  Mowbray,  now  you 
know  not  what.  130 

The  Earl  of  Hereford  was  reputed  then 

In  England  the  most  valiant  gentleman. 

Who  knows  on  whom  fortune  would  then  have  smil'd  ? 

But  if  your  father  had  been  victor  there. 

He  ne'er  had  borne  it  out  of  Coventry ; 

For  all  the  country  in  a  general  voice 

Cried  hate  upon  him,  and  all  their  prayers  and  love 

Were  set  on  Hereford,  whom  they  doted  on 

And  bless'd  and  grac'd  indeed,  more  than  the  king. 

But  this  is  mere  digression  from  my  purpose.  140 


Scene  I]     Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV     99 

Here  come  I  from  our  princely  general 
To  know  your  griefs ;  to  tell  you  from  his  grace 
That  he  will  give  you  audience ;  and  wherein 
It  shall  appear  that  your  demands  are  just, 
You  shall  enjoy  them,  every  thing  set  off 
That  might  so  much  as  think  you  enemies. 

Mowbray.    But  he  hath  forc'd  us  to  compel  this  offer, 
And  it  proceeds  from  policy,  not  love. 

Westmoreland.     Mowbray,   you   overween   to   take    it 
so. 
This  offer  comes  from  mercy,  not  from  fear,  150 

For,  lo  !  within  a  ken  our  army  lies. 
Upon  mine  honour,  all  too  confident 
To  give  admittance  to  a  thought  of  fear. 
Our  battle  is  more  full  of  names  than  yours. 
Our  men  more  perfect  in  the  use  of  arms, 
Our  armour  all  as  strong,  our  cause  the  best ; 
Then  reason  will  our  hearts  should  be  as  good. 
Say  you  not  then  our  offer  is  compell'd. 

Mowbray.    Well,  by  my  will  we  shall  admit  no  parley. 

Westmoreland.   That  argues   but   the  shame  of   your 
offence ;  160 

A  rotten  case  abides  no  handling. 

Hastings.    Hath  the  Prince  John  a  full  commission, 
In  very  ample  virtue  of  his  father. 
To' hear  and  absolutely  to  determine 
Of  what  conditions  we  shall  stand  upon  ? 

Westmoreland.   That  is  intended  in  the  general's  name ; 
I  muse  you  make  so  slight  a  question. 


lOO    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  iv 

Archbishop.   Then  take,  my  Lord  of  Westmoreland, 
this  schedule, 
For  this  contains  our  general  grievances. 
Each  several  article  herein  redress'd,  170 

All  members  of  our  cause,  both  here  and  hence, 
That  are  insinevved  to  this  action. 
Acquitted  by  a  true  substantial  form 
And  present  execution  of  our  wills 
To  us  and  to  our  purposes  confin'd, 
We  come  within  our  awful  banks  again. 
And  knit  our  powers  to  the  arm  of  peace. 

Westmoreland.   This  will  I  show  the  general.  —  Please 
you,  lords, 
In  sight  of  both  our  battles  we  may.  meet, 
And  either  end  in  peace  —  which  God  so  frame  !  —     180 
Or  to  the  place  of  difference  call  the  swords 
Which  must  decide  it. 

Archbishop.  My  lord,  we  will  do  so, 

\^Exit  Westmoreland. 

Mowbray.   There  is  a  thing  within  my  bosom  tells  me 
That  no  conditions  of  our  peace  can  stand. 

Hastings.    Fear  you  not  that ;  if  we  can  make  our  peace 
Upon  such  large  terms  and  so  absolute 
As  our  conditions  shall  consist  upon, 
Our  peace  shall  stand  as  firm  as  rocky  mountains. 

Mowbray.   Yea,  but  our  valuation  shall  be  such 
That  every  slight  and  false-derived  cause,  190 

Yea,  every  idle,  nice,  and  wanton  reason 
Shall  to  the  king  taste  of  this  action  ; 


Scene  I]     Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    loi 

That,  were  our  royal  foiths  martyrs  in  love, 
We  shall  be  winnowed  with  so  rough  a  wind 
That  even  our  corn  shall  seem  as  light  as  chaff 
And  good  from  bad  find  no  partition. 

Archbishop.    No,  no,  my  lord.     Note  this  :  the  king  is 
weary 
Of  dainty  and  such  picking  grievances, 
For  he  hath  found  to  end  one  doubt  by  death 
Revives  two  greater  in  the  heirs  of  life,  200 

And  therefore  will  he  wipe  his  tables  clean, 
And  keep  no  tell-tale  to  his  memory 
That  may  repeat  and  history  his  loss 
To  new  remembrance ;  for  full  well  he  knows 
He  cannot  so  precisely  weed  this  land 
As  his  misdoubts  present  occasion. 
His  foes  are  so  enrooted  with  his  friends 
That,  plucking  to  unfix  an  enemy, 
He  doth  unfasten  so  and  shake  a  friend ; 
So  that  this  land,  like  an  offensive  wife  210 

That  hath  enrag'd  him  on  to  offer  strokes, 
As  he  is  striking,  holds  his  infant  up 
And  hangs  resolv'd  correction  in  the  arm 
That  was  uprear'd  to  execution. 

Hastings.    Besides,  the  king  hath  wasted  all  his  rods 
On  late  offenders,  that  he  now  doth  lack 
The  very  instruments  of  chastisement ; 
So  that  his  power,  like  to  a  fangless  lion, 
May  offer,  but  not  hold. 

Archbishop.  'T  is  very  true ; 


I02    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  iv 

And  therefore  be  assur'd,  my  good  lord  marshal,  220 

If  we  do  now  make  our  atonement  well, 
Our  peace  will,  like  a  broken  limb  united, 
Grow  stronger  for  the  breaking. 

Motvb7-ay.  Be  it  so. 

Here  is  return'd  my  Lord  of  Westmoreland. 

Re-enter  Westmoreland 

Westmoreland.   The  prince  is  here  at  hand ;  pleaseth 

your  lordship 
To  meet  his  grace  just  distance  'tween  our  armies? 

Mowbray.   Your  grace  of  York,  in  God's  name,  then, 

set  forward. 
Archbishop.    Before,  and  greet  his  grace ;  my  lord,  we 

come.  \_Exeunt. 

Scene  II.     Another  Fart  of  the  Forest 

Enter,  fro?n  one  side,  Mowbray,  the  Archbishop,  Hast- 
ings, and  others :  from  the  other  side,  Prince  John  of 
Lancaster  and  Westmoreland  ;  Officers,  and  others 
with  them 

Lancaster.   You  are  well  encounter'd  here,  my  cousin 
Mowbray.  — 
Good  day  to  you,  gentle  lord  archbishop  ;  — 
And  so  to  you,  Lord  Hastings, — andto  all.  — 
My  Lord  of  York,  it  better  show'd  with  you 
When  that  your  flock,  assembled  by  the  bell, 
Encircled  you  to  hear  with  reverence 
Your  exposition  on  the  holy  text, 


Scene  II]   Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    103 

Than  now  to  see  you  here  an  iron  man, 

Cheering  a  rout  of  rebels  with  your  drum, 

Turning  the  word  to  sword  and  hfe  to  death.  10 

That  man  that  sits  within  a  monarch's  heart 

And  ripens  in  the  sunshine  of  his  favour, 

Would  he  abuse  the  countenance  of  the  king. 

Alack,  what  mischiefs  might  he  set  abroach 

In  shadow  of  such  greatness  !     With  you,  lord  bishop, 

It  is  even  so.     Who  hath  not  heard  it  spoken 

How  deep  you  were  within  the  books  of  God  ? 

To  us  the  speaker  in  his  parliament ; 

To  us  the  imagin'd  voice  of  God  himself; 

The  very  opener  and  intelligencer  20 

Between  the  grace,  the  sanctities,  of  heaven 

And  our  dull  workings.     O,  who  shall  beheve 

But  you  misuse  the  reverence  of  your  place. 

Employ  the  countenance  and  grace  of  heaven. 

As  a  false  favourite  doth  his  prince's  name, 

In  deeds  dishonourable  ?     You  have  ta'en  up, 

Under  the  counterfeited  zeal  of  God, 

The  subjects  of  his  substitute,  my  father, 

And  both  against  the  peace  of  heaven  and  him 

Have  here  up-swarm'd  them. 

Archbishop.  Good  my  Lord  of  Lancaster, 

I  am  not  here  against  your  father's  peace ;  31 

But,  as  I  told  my  Lord  of  Westmoreland, 
The  time  misorder'd  doth,  in  common  sense. 
Crowd  us  and  crush  us  to  this  monstrous  form, 
To  hold  our  safety  up.     I  sent  your  grace 


I04    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  IV 

The  parcels  and  particulars  of  our  grief, 

The  which  hath  been  with  scorn  shov'd  from  the  court, 

Whereon  this  Hydra  son  of  war  is  born, 

Whose  dangerous  eyes  may  well  be  charm'd  asleep 

With  grant  of  our  most  just  and  right  desires,  40 

And  true  obedience,  of  this  madness  cur'd, 

Stoop  tamely  to  the  foot  of  majesty. 

Mowbray.    If  not,  we  ready  are  to  try  our  fortunes 
To  the  last  man. 

Hastings.  And  though  we  here  fall  down, 

We  have  supplies  to  second  our  attempt. 
If  they  miscarry,  theirs  shall  second  them  ; 
And  so  success  of  mischief  shall  be  born, 
And  heir  from  heir  shall  hold  this  quarrel  up 
Whiles  England  shall  have  generation. 

Lancaster.   You  are  too  shallow,  Hastings,  much  too 
shallow,  50 

To  sound  the  bottom  of  the  after-times. 

Westmoreland.    Pleaseth  your  grace    to   answer  them 
direcdy 
How  far  forth  you  do  like  their  articles. 

Lancaster.    I  like  them  all,  and  do  allow  them  well, 
And  swear  here,  by  the  honour  of  my  blood, 
My  father's  purposes  have  been  mistook, 
And  some  about  him  have  too  lavishly 
Wrested  his  meaning  and  authority.  — 
My  lord,  these  griefs  shall  be  with  speed  redress'd ; 
Upon  my  soul,  they  shall.     If  this  may  please  you,         60 
Discharge  your  powers  unto  their  several  counties, 


Scene  II]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    105 

As  we  will  ours  ;  and  here  between  the  armies 
Let 's  drink  together  friendly  and  embrace, 
That  all  their  eyes  may  bear  those  tokens  home 
Of  our  restored  love  and  amity. 

Archbishop.    I    take   your    princely   word    for    these 
redresses. 

Lancaster.    I  give  it  you,  and  will  maintain  my  word  ; 
And  thereupon  I  drink  unto  your  grace. 

Hastings.    Go,  captain,  and  deliver  to  the  army 
This  news  of  peace  ;  let  them  have  pay,  and  part.  70 

I  know  it  will  well  please  them.     Hie  thee,  captain. 

\_Exit  Officer. 

Archbishop.   To  you,  my  noble  Lord  of  Westmoreland. 

Westmoreland.    I  pledge  your  grace;  and,  if  you  knew 
what  pains 
I  have  bestow'd  to  breed  this  present  peace. 
You  would  drink  freely ;  but  my  love  to  ye 
Shall  show  itself  more  openly  hereafter. 

Archbishop.    I  do  not  doubt  you. 

Westmoreland.  I  am  glad  of  it.  — 

Health  to  my  lord  and  gentle  cousin,  Mowbray. 

Mowbray.   You  wish  me  health  in  very  happy  season. 
For  I  am,  on  the  sudden,  something  ill.  So 

Archbishop.    Against  ill  chances  men  are  ever  merry. 
But  heaviness  foreruns  the  good  event. 

Westmoreland.   Therefore  be  merry,  coz;    since  sud- 
den sorrow 
Serves  to  say  thus,  —  some  good  thing  comes  to-morrow. 

Archbishop.    BeUeve  me,  I  am  passing  light  in  spirit. 


io6    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  IV 

Mowbray.    So  much  the  worse,  if  your  own  rule  be 

true.  \Shoiits  taifhin. 

Lancaster.   The  word  of  peace  is  render'd ;  hark,  how 

they  shout  ! 
Motvbray.   This  had  been  cheerful  after  victory. 
Archbishop.    A  peace  is  of  the  nature  of  a  conquest ; 
For  then  both  parties  nobly  are  subdued  90 

And  neither  party  loser. 

Lancaster.  Go,  my  lord, 

And  let  our  army  be  discharged  too.  — 

\_Exit  Westmoreland. 
And,  good  my  lord,  so  please  you,  let  our  trains 
March  by  us,  that  we  may  peruse  the  men 
We  should  have  cop'd  withal. 

Archbishop.  Go,  good  Lord  Hastings, 

And,  ere  they  be  dismiss'd,  let  them  march  by. 

\_Exit  LLastings. 
Lancaster.    I    trust,   lords,  we   shall   lie    to-night    to- 
gether. — 

Re-enter  Westmoreland 

Now  cousin,  wherefore  stands  our  army  still? 

Westmoreland.    The  leaders,  having  charge  from  you 
to  stand. 
Will  not  go  off  until  they  hear  you  speak.  100 

Lancaster.    They  know  their  duties.. 

Re-enter  Hastings 

Hastings.    My  lord,  our  army  is  dispers'd  already. 
Like  youthful  steers  unyok'd,  they  take  their  courses 


Scene  III]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    107 

East,  west,  north,  south ;  or,  like  a  school  broke  up, 
Each  hurries  toward  his  home  and  sporting-place. 

WestJiwreland.    Good  things,  my  Lord    Hastings,  for 
the  which 
I  do  arrest  thee,  traitor,  of  high  treason  ;  — 
And  you,  lord  archbishop,  — -  and  you.  Lord  Mowbray,  — 
Of  capital  treason  I  attach  you  both. 

Mowbray.    Is  this  proceeding  just  and  honourable?  no 

Westmoreland.    Is  your  assembly  so? 

Archbishop.    Will  you  thus  break  your  faith? 

Lancaster.  I  pawn'd  thee  none. 

I  promis'd  you  redress  of  these  same  grievances 
Whereof  you  did  complain,  which,  by  mine  honour, 
I  will  perform  with  a  most  Christian  care.  — 
But  for  you,  rebels,  look  to  taste  the  due 
Meet  for  rebeUion  and  such  acts  as  yours. 
Most  shallowly  did  you  these  arms  commence. 
Fondly  brought  here  and  foolishly  sent  hence.  — 
Strike  up  our  drums,  pursue  the  scatter'd  stray ;  120 

God,  and  not  we,  hath  safely  fought  to-day.  — 
Some  guard  these  traitors  to  the  block  of  death, 
Treason's  true  bed  and  yielder  up  of  breath.        \_Exetmt. 

Scene  III.     Another  Part  of  the  Forest 

Alarum.     Excursions.     Enter  Falstaff  and  Colevile, 

meeting 

Falstaff.   What 's  your  name,  sir?  of  what  condition 
are  you,  and  of  what  place,  I  pray  ? 


io8    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  IV 

Colevile.  I  am  a  knight,  sir ;  and  my  name  is  Cole- 
vile  of  the  Dale. 

Falstaff.  Well,  then,  Colevile  is  your  name,  a  knight 
is  your  degree,  and  your  place  the  dale.  Colevile 
shall  be  still  your  name,  a  traitor  your  degree,  and  the 
dungeon  your  place,  a  place  deep  enough  j  so  shall 
you  be  still  Colevile  of  the  dale. 

Colevile.    Are  not  you  Sir  John  Falstnff?  lo 

Falstaff.  As  good  a  man  as  he,  sir,  whoe'er  I  am. 
Do  ye  yield,  sir?  or  shall  I  sweat  for  you?  If  I  do 
sweat,  they  are  the  drops  of  thy  lovers,  and  they  weep 
for  thy  death  ;  therefore  rouse  up  fear  and  trembling, 
and  do  observance  to  my  mercy. 

Colevile.  I  think  you  are  Sir  John  Falstaff,  and  in 
that  thought  yield  me. 

Falstaff.  I  have  a  whole  school  of  tongues  in  this 
belly  of  mine,  and  not  a  tongue  of  them  all  speaks  any 
other  word  but  my  name.  An  I  had  but  a  belly  of  20 
any  indifferency,  I  were  simply  the  most  active  fellow 
in  Europe ;  my  womb,  my  womb,  my  womb  undoes 
me.  —  Here  comes  our  general. 

Enter    Prince    John    of    Lancaster,    Westmoreland, 
Blunt,  and  others 

Laftcaster.    The  heat  is  past  ;  follow  no  further  now.  — 
Call  in  the  powers,  good  cousin  Westmoreland.  — 

\_Exit  Westmoreland. 
Now,  Falstaff,  where  have  you  been  all  this  while? 
When  every  thing  is  ended,  then  you  come. 


Scene  III]   Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    109 

These  tardy  tricks  of  yours  will,  on  my  life, 
One  time  or  other  break  some  gallows'  back. 

Fahtaff.  I  would  be  sorry,  my  lord,  but  it  should  be  30 
thus  ;  I  never  knew  yet  but  rebuke  and  check  was  the 
reward  of  valour.  Do  you  think  me  a  swallow,  an 
arrow,  or  a  bullet?  have  I,  in  my  poor  and  old  motion, 
the  expedition  of  thought  ?  I  have  speeded  hither  with 
the  very  extremest  inch  of  possibility,  I  have  foundered 
nine  score  and  odd  posts,  and  here,  travel-tainted  as  I 
am,  have,  in  my  pure  and  immaculate  valour,  taken 
Sir  John  Colevile  of  the  Dale,  a  most  furious  knight 
and  valorous  enemy.  But  what  of  that?  he  saw  me, 
and  yielded ;  that  I  may  justly  say,  with  the  hook-  40 
nosed  fellow  of  Rome,  1  came,  saw,  and  overcame. 

Lancaster.    It  was  more  of  his  courtesy  than  your 
deserving. 

Fahtaff.  I  know  not ;  here  he  is,  and  here  I  yield 
him  ;  and  I  beseech  your  grace,  let  it  be  booked  with 
the  rest  of  this  day's  deeds,,  or,  by  the  Lord,  I  will  have 
it  in  a  particular  ballad  else,  with  mine  own  picture  on 
the  top  on  't,  Colevile  kissing  my  foot.  To  the  which 
course  if  I  be  enforced,  if  you  do  not  all  show  like  gilt 
twopences  to  me,  and  I  in  the  clear  sky  of  fame  o'er-  50 
shine  you  as  much  as  the  full  moon  doth  the  cinders  of 
the  element,  which  show  like  pins'  heads  to  her,  beheve 
not  the  word  of  the  noble.  Therefore  let  me  have 
right,  and  let  desert  mount. 

Lancaster.   Thine  's  too  heavy  to  mount. 

Falstaff.    Let  it  shine,  then. 


iio    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  IV 

Lancaster.    Thine  's  too  thick  to  shine. 

Falstaff.  Let  it  do  something,  my  good  lord,  that 
may  do  me  good,  and  call  it  what  you  will. 

Lancaster.   Is  thy  name  Colevile?  60 

Colevile.    It  is,  my  lord. 

Lancaster.   A  famous  rebel  art  thou,  Colevile. 

Falstaff.   And  a  famous  true  subject  took  him. 

Colevile.    I  am,  my  lord,  but  as  my  betters  are, 
That  led  me  hither ;  had  they  been  rul'd  by  me, 
You  should  have  won  them  dearer  than  you  have. 

Falstaff.  I  know  not  how  they  sold  themselves,  but 
thou,  like  a  kind  fellow,  gavest  thyself  away  gratis ; 
and  I  thank  thee  for  thee. 

Re-enter  Westmoreland 

Lancaster.    Now,  have  you  left  pursuit?  70 

Westmoreland.    Retreat  is  made  and  execution  stay'd. 

Lancaster.    Send  Colevile  with  his  confederates 
To  York,  to  present  execution.  — 
Blunt,  lead  him  hence,  and  see  you  guard  him  sure,  — 

\_Exeunt  Blunt  and  others  with  Colevile. 
And  now  dispatch  we  toward  the  court,  my  lords. 
I  hear  the  king  my  father  is  sore  sick ; 
Our  news  shall  go  before  us  to  his  majesty,  — 
Which,  cousin,  you  shall  bear  to  comfort  him, 
And  we  with  sober  speed  will  follow  you. 

Falstaff.   My  lord,  I  beseech  you,  give  me  leave  to  80 
go  through  Gloucestershire  ;  and,  when  you  come  to 
court,  stand  my  good  lord,  pray,  in  your  good  report. 


Scene  III]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV     iii 

Lancaster.    Fare  you  well,  Falstaff;  I,  in  my  condition, 
Shall  better  speak  of  you  than  you  deserve. 

\_Exeiint  all  hut  Falstaff. 

Falstaff.  I  would  yon  had  but  the  wit ;  't  were 
better  than  your  dukedom.  Good  faith,  this  same 
young  sober-blooded  boy  doth  not  love  me  ;  nor  a 
man  cannot  make  him  laugh  ;  but  that 's  no  marvel, 
he  drinks  no  wine.  There  's  never  none  of  these 
demure  boys  come  to  any  proof;  for  thin  drink  doth  90 
so  over-cool  their  blood,  and  making  many  fish-meals, 
that  they  are  generally  fools  and  cowards,  which  some 
of  us  should  be  too  but  for  inflammation.  A  good 
sherris-sack  hath  a  two-fold  operation  in  it.  It  ascends 
me  into  the  brain,  dries  me  there  all  the  foolish  and 
dull  and  crudy  vapours  which  environ  it,  makes  it 
apprehensive,  quick,  forgetive,  full  of  nimble,  fiery, 
and  delectable  shapes,  which,  delivered  o'er  to  the 
voice,  the  tongue,  which  is  the  birth,  becomes  excel- 
lent wit.t  The  second  property  of  your  excellent  100 
sherris  is  the  warming  of  the  blood,  which,  before 
cold  and  settled,  left  the  liver  white  and  pale,  which 
is  the  badge  of  pusillanimity  and  cowardice  ;  but  the 
sherris  warms  it  and  makes  it  course  from  the  inwards 
to  the  parts  extreme.  It  illumineth  the  face,  which  as 
a  beacon  gives  warning  to  all  the  rest  of  this  little 
kingdom,  man,  to  arm  ;  and  then  the  vital  commoners 
and  inland  petty  spirits  muster  me  all  to  their  captain, 
the  heart,  who,  great  and  puffed  up  with  this  retinue, 
doth  any  deed  of  courage;  and  this  valour  comes  of  no 


112    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  IV 

sherris.  So  that  skill  in  the  weapon  is  nothing  without 
sack,  for  that  sets  it  a-work  ;  and  learning  a  mere  hoard 
of  gold  kept  by  a  devil,  till  sack  commences  it  and  sets 
it  in  act  and  use.  Hereof  comes  it  that  Prince  Harry 
is  valiant ;  for  the  cold  blood  he  did  naturally  inherit 
of  his  father,  he  liath,  like  lean,  sterile,  and  bare  land, 
manured,  husbanded,  and  tilled  with  excellent  endeav- 
our of  drinking  good  and  good  store  of  fertile  sherris, 
that  he  is  become  very  hot  and  vahant.  If  I  had  a 
thousand  sons,  the  first  humane  principle  I  would  teach 
them  should  be,  to  forswear  thin  potations  and  to  ad- 
dict themselves  to  sack. 122 

Enter  Bardolph 
How  now,  Bardolph? 

Bardo/ph.   The  army  is  discharged  all  and  gone. 

Falstaff.  Let  them  go.  I  '11  through  Gloucester- 
shire ;  and  there  will  I  visit  Master  Robert  Shallow, 
esquire.  I  have  him  already  tempering  between  my 
finger  and  my  thumb,  and  shortly  will  I  seal  with  him. 
Come  away.  \_Exeunt. 

Scene  IV.      Westminster.     The  Jerusalem  Chamber 

Enter  the  King,  the  Princes  Thomas  of  Clarence  and 
Humphrey  of  Gloucester,  Warwick,  and  others 

King.    Now,  lords,  ff  God  doth  give  successful  end 
To  this  debate  that  bleedeth  at  our  doors, 
We  will  our  youth  lead  on  to  higher  fields 
And  draw  no  swords  but  what  are  sanctified. 


Scene  IV]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    113 

Our  navy  is  address'd,  our  power  collected, 

Our  substitutes  in  absence  well  invested, 

And  every  thing  lies  level  to  our  wish  ; 

Only,  we  want  a  little  personal  strength, 

And  pause  us  till  these  rebels,  now  afoot, 

Come  underneath  the  yoke  of  government.  10 

IVanoick.    Both  which  we  doubt  not  but  your  majesty 
Shall  soon  enjoy. 

King.  Humphrey,  my  son  of  Gloucester, 

Where  is  the  prince  your  brother? 

Gloucester.    I    think  he  's  gone  to   hunt,  my  lord,  at 
Windsor. 

Kifig.   And  how  accompanied? 

Gloucester.  I  do  not  know,  my  lord. 

King.    Is  not  his  brother,  Thomas  of  Clarence,  with  him  ? 

Gloucester.    No,  my  good  lord  ;  he  is  in  presence  here. 

Claj'cnce.    What  would  my  lord  and  father? 

King.    Nothing  but  well  to  thee,  Thomas  of  Clarence. 
How  chance  thou  art  not  with  the  prince  thy  brother?  20 
He  loves  thee,  and  thou  dost  neglect  him,  Thomas. 
Thou  hast  a  better  place  in  his  affection 
Then  all  thy  brothers ;  cherish  it,  my  boy, 
And  noble  offices  thou  mayst  effect 
Of  mediation,  after  I  am  dead. 
Between  his  greatness  and  thy  other  brethren. 
Therefore  omit  him  not ;  blunt  not  his  love, 
Nor  lose  the  good  advantage  of  his  grace 
By  seeming  cold  or  careless  of  his  will, 
For  he  is  gracious,  if  he  be  observ'd.  30 

2  HENRY   IV  —  8 


114    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  IV 

He  hath  a  tear  for  pity  and  a  hand 
Open  as  day  for  melting  charity; 
Yet  notwithstanding,  being  incens'd,  he  's  flint, 
As  humorous  as  winter,  and  as  sudden 
As  flaws  congealed  in  the  spring  of  day. 
His  temper,  therefore,  must  be  well  observ'd. 
Chide  him  for  faults,  and  do  it  reverently, 
When  you  perceive  his  blood  inclin'd  to  mirth ; 
But,  being  moody,  give  him  line  and  scope,  /^ 

/Till  that  his  passions,  hke  a  whale  on  ground,      -^^^/.f/f^o/^ 
Confound  themselves  with  working.    Learn  this,  Thomas, 
And  thou  shalt  prove  a  shelter  to  thy  friends, 
A  hoop  of  gold  to  bind  thy  brothers  in. 
That  the  united  vessel  of  their  blood. 
Mingled  with  venom  of  suggestion  — 
As,  force  perforce,  the  age  will  pour  it  in  — 
Shall  never  leak,  though  it  do  work  as  strong 
As  aconitum  or  rash  gunpowder. 

Clarence.    I  shall  observe  him  with  all  care  and  love.  49 

King.   Why  art  thou  not  at  Windsor  with  him,  Thomas? 

Clarence.    He  is  not  there  to-day  ;  he  dines  in  London. 

King.   And  how  accompanied?  canst  thou  tell  that? 

Clarence.    With    Poins,  and    other  his   continual   fol- 
lowers. 

King.    Most  subject  is  the  fattest  soil  to  weeds. 
And  he,  the  noble  image  of  my  youth. 
Is  overspread  with  them  \  therefore  my  grief 
Stretches  itself  beyond  the  hour  of  death. 
The  blood  weeps  from  my  heart  when  I  do  shape 


Scene  IV]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    115 

In  forms  imaginary  the  unguided  days 

And  rotten  times  that  you  shall  look  upon  60 

When  I  am  sleeping  with  my  ancestors. 

For  when  his  headstrong  riot  hath  no  curb, 

When  rage  and  hot  blood  are  his  counsellors, 

When  means  and  lavish  manners  meet  together, 

O,  with  what  wings  shall  his  affections  fly 

Towards  fronting  peril  and  oppos'd  decay  ! 

Wanoick.    My  gracious   lord,  you  look  beyond   him  "7 
quite. 
The  prince  but  studies  his  companions 
Like  a  strange  tongue,  wherein,  to  gain  the  language, 
'T  is  needful  that  the  most  immodest  word  70 

Be  look'd  upon  and  learn'd,  which,  once  attain'd,  ;.. 

Your  highness  knows,  comes  to  no  further  use 
But  to  be  known  and  hated.     So,  like  gross  terms, 
The  prince  will  in  the  perfectness  of  time 
Cast  off  his  followers  ;  and  their  memory 
Shall  as  a  pattern  or  a  measure  live 
By  which  his  grace  must  mete  the  lives  of  others, 
Turning  past  evils  to  advantages. 

King.    'T  is  seldom  when  the  bee  doth  leave  her  comb 
In  the  dead  carrion. — 

Enter  Westmoreland 

Who  's  here?     Westmoreland  !  80 
Westmoreland.    Health  to  my  sovereign,  and  new  hap- 
piness 
Added  to  that  that  I  am  to  deliver  ! 


ii6    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  IV 

Prince  John  your  son  doth  kiss  your  grace's  hand  ; 

Mowbray,  tlie  Bishop  Scroop,  Hastings,  and  all 

Are  brought  to  the  correction  of  your  law, 

There  is  not  now  a  rebel's  sword  unsheath'd, 

But  Peace  puts  forth  her  olive  everywhere. 

The  manner  how  this  action  hath  been  borne 

Here  at  more  leisure  may  your  highness  read, 

With  every  course  in  his  particular.  90 

King.    O  ^Vestmoreland,  thou  art  a  summer  bird. 
Which  ever  in  the  haunch  of  winter  sings 
The  lifting  up  of  day.  — 

Enter  Harcourt 

Look,  here  's  more  news. 

Harcotirt.    From  enemies  heaven  keep  your  majesty ; 
And,  when  they  stand  against  you,  may  they  fall 
As  those  that  I  am  come  to  tell  you  of ! 
The  Earl  Northumberland  and  the  Lord  Bardolph, 
With  a  great  power  of  English  and  of  Scots, 
Are  by  the  sheriff  of  Yorkshire  overthrown. 
The  manner  and  true  order  of  the  fight  100 

This  packet,  please  it  you,  contains  at  large. 

King.   And  wherefore  should  these  good  news  make 
me  sick? 
Will  Fortune  never  come  with  both  hands  full, 
But  write  her  fair  words  still  in  foulest  letters? 
She  either  gives  a  stomach  and  no  food,  — 
Such  are  the  poor,  in  health ;  or  else  a  feast 
And  takes  away  the  stomach,  —  such  are  the  rich, 


Scene  IV]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    117 

That  have  abundance  and  enjoy  it  not. 

I  should  rejoice  now  at  this  happy  news ; 

And  now  my  sight  fails,  and  my  brain  is  giddy.  —         no 

O  me  !  come  near  me,  now  I  am  much  ill. 

Gloucester.    Comfort,  your  majesty  ! 

Clarence.  O  my  royal  father  ! 

Westmoreland.    My  sovereign  lord,  cheer  up  yourself, 
look  up. 

War7vick.    Be  patient,  princes;  you  do  know,  these 
fits 
Are  with  his  highness  very  ordinary. 
Stand  from  him,  give  him  air ;  he  '11  straight  be  well. 

Clai-ence.    No,  no,  he  cannot  long  hold  out  these  pangs. 
The  incessant  care  and  labour  of  his  mind 
Hath  wrought  the  mure  that  should  confine  it  in 
So  thin  that  life  looks  through  and  will  break  out.  120 

Gloucester.    The  people  fear  me ;  for  they  do  observe 
Unfather'd  heirs  and  loathly  births  of  nature  ; 
The  seasons  change  their  manners,  as  the  year 
Had  found  some  months  asleep  and  leap'd  them  over. 

Clarence.   The     river    hath    thrice    flow'd,    no     ebb 
between ; 
And  the  old  folk,  time's  doting  chronicles. 
Say  it  did  so  a  little  time  before 
That  our  great-grandsire,  Edward,  sick'd  and  died. 

Warwick.    Speak  lower,  princes,  for  the  king  recovers. 

Gloucester.   This  apoplexy  will  certain  be  his  end.     130 

King.    I  pray  you,  take  me  up,  and  bear  me  hence 
Into  some  other  chamber ;  softly,  pray.  [^Exeunt. 


ii8    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  IV 


Scene  V.     Another  ChaiJiber 

The  King  lying  on  a  bed :  Clarence,  Gloucester,  War- 
wick, and  others  in  attendance 

King.    Let  there  be  no  noise  made,  my  gentle  friends, 
Unless  some  dull  and  fovourable  hand 
Will  whisper  music  to  my  weary  spirit. 

Warwick.    Call  for  music  in  the  other  room. 

King.    Set  me  the  crown  upon  my  pillow  here. 

Clarence.    His  eye  is  hollow,  and  he  changes  much. 

Warwick.   Less  noise,  less  noise  ! 

Enter  Prince  Henry 

Prince.  Who  saw  the  Duke  of  Clarence  ? 

Clarence.    I  am  here,  brother,  full  of  heaviness. 

Prince.    How    now !    rain    within    doors,    and    none 
abroad  ! 
How  doth  the  king?  lo 

Gloucester.    Exceeding  ill. 

Prince.  Heard  he  the  good  news  yet? 

Tell  it  him. 

Gloucester.    He  alter'd  much  upon  the  hearing  it. 

Prince.    If  he  be  sick  with  joy,  he  will  recover 
Without  physic. 

Warwick.    Not    so   much   noise,    my   lords.  —  Sweet 
prince,  speak  low ; 
The  king  your  father  is  dispos'd  to  sleep. 

Clarence.   Let  us  withdraw  into  the  other  room. 


Scene  V]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV     119 

Warwick.   Will 't    please    your    grace    to    go    along 
with  us? 

Prince.    No  ;  I  will  sit  and  watch  here  by  the  king.  — 

\_Exeuiit  all  but  the  Prince. 
Why  doth  the  crown  lie  there  upon  his  pillow,  21 

Being  so  troublesome  a  bedfellow? 
O  polish'd  perturbation  !  golden  care  ! 
That  keep'st  the  ports  of  slumber  open  wide 
To  many  a  watchful  night  !  sleep  with  it  now  ! 
Yet  not  so  sound  and  half  so  deeply  sweet 
As  he  whose  brow  with  homely  biggen  bound 
Snores  out  the  watch  of  night.     O  majesty  ! 
When  thou  dost  pinch  thy  bearer,  thou  dost  sit 
Like  a  rich  armour  worn  in  heat  of  day,  30 

That  scalds  with  safety.     By  his  gates  of  breath 
There  lies  a  downy  feather  which  stirs  not ; 
Did  he  suspire,  that  light  and  weightless  down 
Perforce  must  move.  —  My  gracious  lord  !  my  father  !  — 
This  sleep  is  sound  indeed  ;  this  is  a  sleep 
That  from  this  golden  rigol  hath  divorc'd 
So  many  English  kings.     Thy  due  from  me 
Is  tears  and  heavy  sorrows  of  the  blood. 
Which  nature,  love,  and  filial  tenderness 
Shall,  O  dear  father,  pay  thee  plenteously;  40 

My  due  from  thee  is  this  imperial  crown. 
Which,  as  immediate  from  thy  place  and  blood, 
Derives  itself  to  me.     Lo,  here  it  sits. 
Which   God    shall   guard;   and   put   the  world's  whole 
strength 


I20    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  IV 

Into  one  giant  arm,  it  shall  not  force 
Tills  lineal  honour  from  me  ;  this  from  thee 
\\'i]l  I  to  mine  leave,  as  't  is  left  to  me.  \_Exit. 

King.    Warwick  !  Gloucester  !  Clarence  ! 

Re-enter  Warwick,  Gloucester,  Clarence,  and  the  rest 

Clarence.    Doth  the  king  call? 

Warwick.    What   would    your   majesty?      How   fares 
your  grace?  50 

King.     Why  did  you  leave  me  here  alone,  my  lords? 
Clarence.    We  left  the   prince   my  brother   here,   my 
liege. 
Who  undertook  to  sit  and  watch  by  you. 

King.   The  Prince  of  Wales  !  Where  is  he?  let  me  see 
him ; 
He  is  not  here. 

Warivick.   This  door  is  open  ;  he  is  gone  this  way. 
Gloucester.    He  came  not  through  the  chamber  where 

we  stay'd. 
King.    Where   is   the  crown?    who  took  it  from  my 

pillow? 
Warwick.   When  we  withdrew,  my  liege,  we   left   it 

here. 
King.   The  prince  hath  ta'en  it  hence ;  go,  seek  him 
out.  60 

Is  he  so  hasty  that  he  doth  suppose 
My  sleep  my  death  ?  — 
Find  him,  my  Lord  of  Warwick  ;  chide  him  hither.  — 

\_^Exit  Warwick. 


Scene  V]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    121 

This  part  of  his  conjoins  with  my  disease, 

And  helps  to  end  me.  —  See,  sons,  what  things  you  are  ! 

How  quickly  nature  falls  into  revolt 

When  gold  becomes  her  object ! 

For  this  the  foolish  over-careful  fathers 

Have  broke  their  sleep  with  thoughts,  their  brains  with 

care. 
Their  bones  with  industry ;  70 

For  this  they  have  engrossed  and  pil'd  up 
The  canker'd  heaps  of  strange-achieved  gold  ; 
For  this  they  have  been  thoughtful  to  invest 
Their  sons  with  arts  and  martial  exercises  : 
When,  like  the  bee,  culling  from  every  flower 
The  virtuous  sweets. 

Our  thighs  pack'd  with  wax,  our  mouths  with  honey, 
We  bring  it  to  the  hive,  and,  like  the  bees, 
Are  murthered  for  our  pains.     This  bitter  taste 
Yield  his  engrossments  to  the  ending  father.  —  80 

Re-enter  Warwick 

Now,  where  is  he  that  will  not  stay  so  long 
Till  his  friend  sickness  hath  determin'd  me  ? 

Warwick.  My  lord,  I  found  the  prince  in  the  next  room. 
Washing  with  kindly  tears  his  gentle  cheeks, 
With  such  a  deep  demeanour  in  great  sorrow 
That  tyranny,  which  never  quaff'd  but  blood, 
Would,  by  beholding  him,  have  wash'd  his  knife 
With  gentle  eye-drops.     He  is  coming  hither. 

King.    But  wherefore  did  he  take  away  the  crown? 


122    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  IV 

Re-enter  Prince  Henry 

Lo,  where  he  comes.  —  Come  hither  to  me,  Harry. —  9° 
Depart  the  chamber ;  leave  us  here  alone. 

\Exeunt  Warwick  and  the  i-est. 

Prince.    I  never  thought  to  hear  you  speak  again. 

King.   Thy^^ft^Sk  wa^Jiithfir,..  Harry,  to  that  thought ; 
I  stay  too  long  by  thee,  I  weary  thee. 
Dost  thou  so  hunger  for  mine  empty  chair 
That  thou  wilt  needs  invest  thee  with  my  honours 
Before  thy  hour  be  ripe  ?     O  foolish  youth  ! 
Thou  seek'st  the  greatness  that  will  overwhelm  thee. 
Stay  but  a  little,  for  my  cloud  of  dignity 
Is  held  from  falling  with  so  weak  a  wind  loo 

That  it  will  quickly  drop  ;  my  day  is  dim. 
Thou  hast  stolen  that  which  after  some  few  hours 
Were  thine  without  offence,  and  at  my  death 
Thou  hast  seal'd  up  my  expectation ; 
Thy  life  did  manifest  them  lov'dst  me  not, 
And  thou  wilt  have  me  die  assur'd  of  it. 
Thou  hid'st  a  thousand  daggers  in  thy  thoughts, 
Which  thou  hast  whetted  on  thy  stony  heart, 
To  stab  at  half  an  hour  of  my  life. 

What  !  canst  thou  not  forbear  me  half  an  hour?  no 

Then  get  thee  gone  and  dig  my  grave  thyself. 
And  bid  the  merry  bells  ring  to  thine  ear 
That  thou  art  crowned,  not  that  I  am  dead. 
Let  all  the  tears  that  should  bedew  my  hearse 
Be  drops  of  balm  to  sanctify  thy  head. 


Scene  V]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    123 

Only  compound  me  with  forgotten  dust ; 

Give  that  which  gave  thee  hfe  unto  the  worms. 

Pkick  down  my  officers,  break  my  decrees ; 

For  now  a  time  is  come  to  mock  at  form. 

Harry  the  Fifth  is  crown'd  !  up,  vanity  !  120 

Down,  royal  state  !  all  you  sage  counsellors,  hence  ! 

And  to  the  English  court  assemble  now. 

From  every  region,  apes  of  idleness  !  — 

Now,  neighbour  confines,  purge  you  of  your  scum  ! 

Have  you  a  ruffian  that  will  swear,  drink,  dance, 

Revel  the  night,  rob,  murther,  and  commit 

The  oldest  sins  the  newest  kind  of  ways? 

Be  happy,  he  will  trouble  you  no  more ; 

England  shall  double  gild  his  treble  guilt, 

England  shall  give  him  office,  honour,  might ;  130 

For  the  fifth  Harry  from  curb'd  hcense  plucks 

The  muzzle  of  restraint,  and  the  wild  dog 

Shall  flesh  his  tooth  on  every  innocent.  — 

0  my  poor  kingdom,  sick  with  civil  blows  ! 
^Vhen  that  my  care  could  not  withhold  thy  riots, 
What  wilt  thou  do  when  riot  is  thy  care  ? 

O,  thou  wilt  be  a  wilderness  again, 
Peopled  with  wolves,  thy  old  inhabitants  ! 

Prince.    O,  pardon  me,  my  hege  !  but  for  my  tears. 
The  moist  impediments  unto  my  speech,  140 

1  had  forestall'd  this  dear  and  deep  rebuke 
Ere  you  with  grief  had  spoke  and  I  had  heard 
The  course  of  it  so  far.     There  is  your  crown ; 
And  He  that  wears  the  crown  immortally 


124    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  IV 

Long  guard  it  yours  !     If  I  affect  it  more 

Than  as  your  honour  and  as  your  renown, 

Let  me  no  more  from  this  obedience  rise, 

Which  my  most  inward  true  and  duteous  spirit 

Teacheth,  this  prostrate  and  exterior  bending. 

God  witness  with  me,  when  I  here  came  in,  150 

And  found  no  course  of  breath  within  your  majesty, 

How  cold  it  struck  my  heart  !     If  I  do  feign, 

O,  let  me  in  my  present  wildness  die, 

And  never  live  to  show  the  incredulous  world 

The  noble  change  that  I  have  purposed  ! 

Coming  to  look  on  you,  thinking  you  dead. 

And  dead  almost,  my  liege,  to  think  you  were, 

I  spake  unto  this  crown  as  having  sense, 

And  thus  upbraided  it :  '  The  care  on  thee  depending 

Hath  fed  upon  the  body  of  my  father  ;  160 

Therefore,  thou  best  of  gold  art  worst  of  gold. 

Other,  less  fine  in  carat,  is  more  precious. 

Preserving  life  in  medicine  potable ; 

But  thou,  most  fine,  most  honour'd,  most  renown'd. 

Hast  eat  thy  bearer  up.'     Thus,  my  most  royal  liege, 

Accusing  it,  I  put  it  on  my  head, 

To  try  with  it,  as  with  an  enemy 

That  had  before  my  face  murther'd  my  father, 

The  quarrel  of  a  true  inheritor. 

But  if  it  did  infect  my  blood  with  joy  170 

Or  swell  my  thoughts  to  any  strain  of  pride, 

If  any  rebel  or  vain  spirit  of  mine 

Did  with  the  least  affection  of  a  welcome 


Scene  V]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    125 

Give  entertainment  to  the  might  of  it, 
Let  God  for  ever  keep  it  from  my  head, 
And  make  me  as  the  poorest  vassal  is 
That  doth  with  awe  and  terror  kneel  to  it ! 

King.    O  my  son, 
God  put  it  in  thy  mind  to  take  it  hence, 
That  thou  mightst  win  the  more  thy  father's  love,         .180 
Pleading  so  wisely  in  excuse  of  it ! 
Come  hither,  Harry,  sit  thou  by  my  bed  ; 
And  hear,  I  think,  the  very  latest  counsel 
That  ever  I  shall  breathe.     God  knows,  my  son, 
By  what  by-paths  and  indirect  crook'd  ways 
I  met  this  crown  ;  and  I  myself  know  well 
How  troublesome  it  sat  upon  my  head. 
To  thee  it  shall  descend  with  better  quiet, 
Better  opinion,  better  confirmation  ; 
For  all  the  soil  of  the  achievement  goes  190 

With  me  into  the  earth.     It  seem'd  in  me 
But  as  an  honour  snatch'd  with  boisterous  hand, 
And  I  had  many  living  to  upbraid 
My  gain  of  it  by  their  assistances, 
Which  daily  grew  to  quarrel  and  to  bloodshed. 
Wounding  supposed  peace.     All  these  bold  fears 
Thou  see'st  with  peril  I  have  answered. 
For  all  my  reign  hath  been  but  as  a  scene 
Acting  that  argument ;  and  now  my  death 
Changes  the  mode,  for  what  in  me  was  purchas'd,         200 
Falls  upon  thee  in  a  more  fairer  sort, 
So  thou  the  garland  wear'st  successively. 


126    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV      [Act  iv 

Yet,  though  thou  stand'st  more  sure  than  I  could  do, 

Thou  art  not  firm  enough,  since  griefs  are  green  ; 

And  all  my  friends,  which  thou  must  make  thy  friends, 

Have  but  their  stings  and  teeth  newly  ta'en  out, 

By  whose  fell  working  I  was  first  advanc'd 

And  by  whose  power  I  well  might  lodge  a  fear 

To  be  again  displac'd,  which  to  avoid, 

I  cut  them  off,  and  had  a  purpose  now  210 

To  lead  out  many  to  the  Holy  Land, 

Lest  rest  and  lying  still  might  make  them  look 

Too  near  unto  my  state.     Therefore,  my  Harry, 

Be  it  thy  course  to  busy  giddy  minds 

With  foreign  quarrels,  that  action,  hence  borne  out, 

May  waste  the  memory  of  the  former  days. 

More  would  I,  but  my  lungs  are  wasted  so 

That  strength  of  speech  is  utterly  denied  me. — 

How  I  came  by  the  crown,  O  God  forgive, 

And  grant  it  may  with  thee  in  true  peace  live  !  220 

Prince.    My  gracious  liege, 
You  won  it,  wore  it,  kept  it,  gave  it  me ; 
Then  plain  and  right  must  my  possession  be, 
Which  I  with  more  than  with  a  common  pain 
'Gainst  all  the  world  will  rightfully  maintain. 

Enter  Prince  John  of  Lancaster 

King.   Look,  look,  here  comes  my  John  of  Lancaster. 
Lancaster.    Health,  peace,  and  happiness  to  my  royal 
father  ! 


Scene  V]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    127 

King.   Thou    bring'st    me    happiness   and    peace,  son 
John, 
But  health,  alack,  with  youthful  wings  is  flown 
From  this  bare  wither'd  trunk ;  upon  thy  sight  230 

My  worldly  business  makes  a  period. 
Where  is  my  Lord  of  Warwick  ? 

Prince.  My  Lord  of  Warwick  ! 

Enter  Warwick,  and  others 

King.    Doth  any  name  particular  belong 
Unto  the  lodging  where  I  first  did  swoon? 

Warwick.    'T  is  call'd  Jerusalem,  my  noble  lord. 

King.   Laud  be  to  God  !  even  there  my  life  must  end. 
It  has  been  prophesied  to  me  many  years 
I  should  not  die  but  in  Jerusalem, 
Which  vainly  I  suppos'd  the  Holy  Land.  — 
But  bear  me  to  that  chamber ;  there  I  '11  lie,  240 

In  that  Jerusalem  shall  Harry  die.  \_Exeunt. 


■//////■.rt^ 


Hall  in  Shallow's  House 


ACT  V 

Scene  I.     Gloucestershire.     Shallow'' s  House. 
Enter  Shallow,  Falstaff,  Bardolph,  and  Page 

Shallow.  By  cock  and  pie,  sir,  you  shall  not  away 
to-night. —  What,  Davy,  I  say  ! 

Falstaff.  You  must  excuse  me,  Master  Robert 
Shallow. 

Shalloza.  I  will  not  excuse  you  ;"  you  shall  not  be 
excused ;  excuses  shall  not  be  admitted ;  there  is  no 
excuse  shall  serve ;  you  shall  not  be  excused.  —  Why, 
Davy  ! 

128 


Scene  I]     Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    129 

Enter  Davy 

Davy.    Here,  sir. 

Shalloiv.    Davy,  Davy,  Davy,  Davy,  let  me  see,  Davy  ;  10 
let  me  see,  Davy ;  let  me  see  :  yea,  marry,  William  cook, 
bid  him  come  hither.  —  Sir  John,  you  shall  not  be  ex- 
cused, 

Davy.  Marry,  sir,  thus  :  those  precepts  cannot  be 
served ;  —  and,  again,  sir,  shall  we  sow  the  headland 
with  wheat? 

Shalioia.  With  red  wheat,  Davy.  But  for  William 
cook  ;  —  are  there  no  young  pigeons  ? 

Davy.  Yes,  sir.  —  Here  is  now  the  smith's  note  for 
shoeing  and  plough-irons.  20 

Shallow.  Let  it  be  cast  and  paid.  —  Sir  John,  you 
shall  not  be  excused. 

Da-oy.  Now,  sir,  a  new  link  to  the  bucket  must 
needs  be  had  ;  —  and,  sir,  do  you  mean  to  stop  any 
of  William's  wages,  about  the  sack  he  lost  the  other 
day  at  Hinckley  fair? 

Shallozv.  A'  shall  answer  it.  —  Some  pigeons,  Davy, 
a  couple  of  short-legged  hens,  a  joint  of  mutton,  and 
any  pretty  little  tiny  kickshaws,  tell  William  cook. 

Davy.    Doth  the  man  of  war  stay  all  night,  sir?  30 

Shallow.  Yea,  Davy.  I  will  use  him  well ;  a  friend 
i'  court  is  better  than  a  penny  in  purse.  Use  his  men 
well,  Davy ;  for  they  are  arrant  knaves,  and  will 
backbite. 

Davy.  No  worse  than  they  are  backbitten,  sir  ;  for 
they  have  marvellous  foul  linen. 

2  HENRY  IV  —  9 


130    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV       [Act  V 

Shallow.  Well  conceited,  Davy.  About  thy  busi- 
ness, Davy. 

Davy.    I  beseech  you,  sir,  to  countenance  William 
Visor   of    Woncot   against    Clement    Perkes    of    the  40 
hill. 

Shallotv.  There  is  many  complaints,  Davy,  against 
that  Visor ;  that  Visor  is  an  arrant  knave,  on  my 
knowledge. 

Davy.  I  grant  your  worship  that  he  is  a  knave,  sir ; 
but  yet,  God  forbid,  sir,  but  a  knave  should  have 
some  countenance  at  his  friend's  request.  An  honest 
man,  sir,  is  able  to  speak  for  himself,  when  a  knave  is 
not.  I  have  served  your  worship  truly,  sir,  this  eight 
years ;  and  if  I  cannot  once  or  twice  in  a  quarter  bear  50 
out  a  knave  against  an  honest  man,  I  have  but  a  very 
little  credit  with  your  worship.  The  knave  is  mine 
honest  friend,  sir ;  therefore,  I  beseech  your  worship, 
let  him  be  countenanced. 

Shallow.  Go  to ;  I  say  he  shall  have  no  wrong. 
Look  about,  Davy. —  \^Exii  Davy.'\  Where  are  you. 
Sir  John?  Come,  come,  come,  off  with  your  boots. 
Give  me  your  hand,  Master  Bardolph. 

Bardolph.    I  am  glad  to  see  your  worship. 

Shallozv.    I  thank  thee  with  all  my  heart,  kind  Mas-  60 
ter  Bardolph ;  —  and  welcome,  my  tall  fellow  \_to  the 
Page'].  —  Come,  Sir  John. 

Falstaff.  I  '11  follow  you,  good  Master  Robert  Shal- 
low.—  [_Exil  Shallow.']  Bardolph,  look  to  our  horses. 
—  \_Exeinit  Bardolph  and  Pi-igc]  If  I  were  sawed  into 


Scene  I]     Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    131 

quantities,  I  should  make  four  dozen  of  such  bearded 
hermits'  staves  as  Master  Shallow.  It  is  a  wonderful 
thing  to  see  the  semblable  coherence  of  his  men's 
spirits  and  his  :  they,  by  observing  of  him,  do  bear 
themselves  Hke  foohsh  justices;  he,  by  conversing  70 
with  them,  is  turned  into  a  justice-Uke  serving-man. 
Their  spirits  are  so  married  in  conjunction  with  the 
participation  of  society  that  they  flock  together  in 
consent,  like  so  many  wild-geese.  If  I  had  a  suit  to 
Master  Shallow,  I  would  humour  his  men  with  the  im- 
putation of  being  near  their  master;  if  to  his  men,  I 
would  curry  with  Master  Shallow  that  no  man  could 
better  command  his  servants.  It  is  certain  that  either 
wise  bearing  or  ignorant  carriage  is  caught,  as  men 
take  diseases,  one  of  another ;  therefore  let  men  take  80 
heed  of  their  company.  I  will  devise  matter  enough 
out  of  this  Shallow  to  keep  Prince  Harry  in  continual  ./. 
laughter  the  wearing  out  of  six  fashions,  which  is  four 
terms,  or  two  actions,  and  a'  shall  laugh  without  inter- 
vallums.  O,  it  is  much  that  a  he  with  a  slight  oath 
and  a  jest  with  a  sad  brow  will  do  with  a  fellow  that 
never  had  the  ache  in  his  shoulders  !  O,  you  shall 
see  him  laugh  till  his  face  be  like  a  wet  cloak  ill  laid 
up  ! 

Shalloiu.    [  Withvi]  Sir  John  !  90 

Fahtaff.   I  come,  Master  Shallow ;  I  come,  Master 
Shallow.  \_Exit. 


132    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV       [Act  v 


Scene   II.      Westmmster.     The  Palace 

Enter  Warwick  and  the  Lord  Chief-Justice,  meetijjg 

Wai-wick.    How  now,  my  lord  chief-justice  !   whither 

away  ? 
Chief-Justice.    How  doth  the  king?. 
Warwick.    Exceeding   well;    his    cares   are    now   all 

ended. 
Chief-Justice.    I  hope,  not  dead. 

Warwick.  He  's  walk'd  the  way  of  nature, 

And  to  our  purposes  he  lives  no  more. 

Chief  Justice.    I  would  his  majesty  had  call'd  me  with 
him  ; 
The  service  that  I  truly  did  his  life 
Hath  left  me  open  to  all  injuries. 

Warwick.    Indeed  I  think  the  young  king  loves  you 

not. 
Chief  Justice.    I    know   he    doth  not,  and   do  arm 
myself  10 

To  welcome  the  condition  of  the  time. 
Which  cannot  look  more  hideously  upon  me 
Than  I  have  drawn  it  in  my  fantasy. 

Enter  Lancaster,   Clarence,    Gloucester,   Westmore- 
land, and  others^ 

Warwick.    Here  come  the  heavy  issue  of  dead  Harry. 
O  that  the  living  Harry  had  the  temper 
Of  him,  the  worst  of  these  three  gentlemen  1 


Scene  II]    Secoild  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    133 

How  many  nobles  then  should  hold  their  places, 
That  must  strike  sail  to  spirits  of  vile  sort ! 

Chief- Justice.    O  God,  I  fear  all  will  be  overturn 'd  ! 

Lancaster.    Good  morrow,  cousin  Warwick,  good  mor- 
row. 20 

Gloucester.  )  „      , 

^,  -  Good  morrow,  cousui. 

Clarence.     ) 

Lancaster.   We  meet  like  men  that  had  forgot  to  speak. 
IVanuick.    We  do  remember,  but  our  argument 
Is  all  too  heavy  to  admit  much  talk. 

Lancaster.   Well,  peace  be  with  him  that  hath  made 

us  heavy  ! 
Chief-Justice.    Peace  be  with  us,  lest  we  be  heavier  ! 
Gloucester.    O,  good  my  lord,  you  have  lost  a  friend 
indeed  ! 
And  I  dare  swear  you  borrow  not  that  face 
Of  seeming  sorrow,  it  is  sure  your  own. 

Lancaster.    Though  no  man  be  assur'd  what  grace  to 
find,  30 

You  stand  in  coldest  expectation. 
I  am  the  sorrier ;  would  't  were  otherwise. 

Clarence.    Well,  you  must  now  speak  Sir  John  Falstaff 
fair. 
Which  swims  against  your  stream  of  quality. 

Chief-Justice.    Sweet  princes,  what  I  did  I  did  in  hon- 
our, 
Led  by  the  impartial  conduct  of  my  soul ; 
And  never  shall  you  see  that  I  will  beg 
A  ragged  and  forestall'd  remission. 


134    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV        [Act  V 

If  truth  and  upright  innocency  fail  me, 
I  '11  to  the  king  my  master  that  is  dead,  40 

And  tell  him  who  hath  sent  me  after  him. 
Warwick.    Here  comes  the  prince. 

Enter  King  Henry  the  P'ifth,  attended 

Chief-Justice.    Good    morrow;    and    God    save    your 
majesty  ! 

King.   This  new  and  gorgeous  garment,  majesty, 
Sits  not  so  easy  on  me  as  you  think.  — 
Brothers,  you  mix  your  sadness  with  some  fear. 
This  is  the  English,  not  the  Turkish  court ; 
Not  Amurath  an  Amurath  succeeds. 
But  Harry  Harry.     Yet  be  sad,  good  brothers, 
For,  by  my  faith,  it  very  well  becomes  you.  50 

Sorrow  so  royally  in  you  appears 
That  I  will  deeply  put  the  fashion  on 
And  wear  it  in  my  heart.     Why  then,  be  sad  ; 
But  entertain  no  more  of  it,  good  brothers. 
Than  a  joint  burden  laid  upon  us  all. 
For  me,  by  heaven,  I  bid  you  be  assur'd, 
I  '11  be  your  father  and  your  brother  too ; 
Let  me  but  bear  your  love,  I  '11  bear  your  cares. 
Yet  weep  that  Harry  's  dead,  and  so  will  I ; 
But  Harry  lives  that  shall  convert  those  tears  60 

By  number  into  hours  of  happiness. 

Princes.    We  hope  no  other  from  your  majesty. 

King.   You  all  look  strangely  on  me,  —  and  you  most ; 
You  are,  I  think,  assur'd  I  love  you  not. 


Scene  II]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    135 

Chief-Justice.    I  am  assur'd,  if  I  be  measur'd  rightly, 
Your  majesty  hath  no  just  cause  to  hate  me. 

King.    No? 
How  might  a  prince  of  my  great  hopes  forget 
So  great  indignities  you  laid  upon  me  ? 
What !  rate,  rebuke,  and  roughly  send  to  prison  70 

The  immediate  heir  of  England  !     Was  this  easy? 
May  this  be  wash'd  in  Lethe  and  forgotten? 

Chief -Justice.    I  then  did  use  the  person  of  your  father, 
The  image  of  his  power  lay  then  in  me  ; 
And,  in  the  administration  of  his  law, 
Whiles  I  was  busy  for  the  commonwealth. 
Your  highness  pleased  to  forget  my  place, 
The  majesty  and  power  of  law  and  justice. 
The  image  of  the  king  whom  I  presented. 
And  struck  me  in  my  very  seat  of  judgment;  80 

Whereon,  as  an  offender  to  your  father, 
I  gave  bold  way  to  my  authority 
And  did  commit  you.     If  the  deed  were  ill. 
Be  you  contented,  wearing  now  the  garland, 
To  have  a  son  set  your  degrees  at  nought, 
To  pluck  down  justice  from  your  awful  bench. 
To  trip  the  course  of  law,  and  blunt  the  sword 
That  guards  the  peace  and  safety  of  your  person, 
Nay,  more,  to  spurn  at  your  most  royal  image 
And  mock  your  workings  in  a  second  body.  90 

Question  your  royal  thoughts,  make  the  case  yours  : 
Be  now  the  father  and  propose  a  son, 
Hear  your  own  dignity  so  much  profan'd, 


136    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV       [Act  V 

See  your  most  dreadful  laws  so  loosely  slighted, 

Behold  yourself  so  by  a  son  disdain'd, 

And  then  imagine  me  taking  your  part 

And  in  your  power  soft  silencing  your  son. 

After  this  cold  considerance,  sentence  me ; 

And,  as  you  are  a  king,  speak  in  your  state 

What  I  have  done  that  misbecame  my  place,  100 

My  person,  or  my  liege's  sovereignty. 

King.    You  are  right,  justice,  and  you  weigh  this  well ; 
Therefore  still  bear  the  balance  and  the  sword, 
And  I  do  wish  your  honours  may  increase 
Till  you  do  live  to  see  a  son  of  mine 
Offend  you  and  obey  you,  as  I  did. 
So  shall  I  live  to  speak  my  father's  words : 
'  Happy  am  I,  that  have  a  man  so  bold 
That  dares  do  justice  on  my  proper  son ; 
And  not  less  happy,  having  such  a  son  no 

That  would  deliver  up  his  greatness  so 
Into  the  hands  of  justice.'     You  did  commit  me, 
For  which  I  do  commit  into  your  hand 
Th'  unstained  sword  that  you  have  us'd  to  bear ; 
With  this  remembrance,  —  that  you  use  the  same 
With  the  like  bold,  just,  and  impartial  spirit 
As  you  have  done  'gainst  me.     There  is  my  hand. 
You  shall  be  as  a  father  to  my  youth  ; 
My  voice  shall  sound  as  you  do  prompt  mine  ear, 
And  I  will  stoop  and  humble  my  intents  120 

To  your  well-practis'd  wise  directions. — 
And,  princes  all,  believe  me,  I  beseech  you ; 


Scene  III]   Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    137 

My  father  is  gone  wild  into  his  grave, 

For  in  his  tomb  lie  my  affections, 

And  with  his  spirit  sadly  I  survive, 

To  mock  the  expectation  of  the  world. 

To  frustrate  prophecies  and  to  raze  out 

Rotten  opinion,  who  hath  writ  me  down 

After  my  seeming.     The  tide  of  blood  in  me 

Hath  proudly  flow'd  in  vanity  till  now ;  130 

Now  doth  it  turn  and  ebb  back  to  the  sea, 

Where  it  shall  mingle  with  the  state  of  floods 

And  flow  henceforth  in  formal  majesty. 

Now  call  we  our  high  court  of  parliament. 

And  let  us  choose  such  limbs  of  noble  counsel 

That  the  great  body  of  our  state  may  go 

In  equal  rank  with  the  best  govern'd  nation, 

That  war,  or  peace,  or  both  at  once,  may  be 

As  things  acquainted  and  familiar  to  us  ;  — 

In  which  you,  father,  shall  have  foremost  hand.  —         140 

Our  coronation  done,  we  will  accite, 

As  I  before  remember'd,  all  our  state; 

And,  God  consigning  to  my  good  intents, 

No  prince  nor  peer  shall  have  just  cause  to  say, 

God  shorten  Harry's  happy  life  one  day  !  \_Exeunf. 

Scene  III.      Gloucestershire.     Shallow's   Orchard 
Enter  Falstaff,    Shallow,  Silence,   Davy,  Bardolph, 

ajid  the  Page 
Shallow.    Nay,  you  shall  see  my  orchard,  where,  in 
an  arbour,  we  will  eat  a  last  year's  pippin  of  my  own 


138    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV       [Act  V 

graffing,  witli  a  dish  of  caraways,  and  so  forth  ;  —  come, 
cousin  Silence  ;  —  and  then  to  bed. 

Falsiaff.  Fore  God,  you  have  here  a  goodly  dwell- 
ing and  a  rich. 

Shallow.  Barren,  barren,  barren ;  beggars  all,  beg- 
gars all.  Sir  John  ;  marry,  good  air.  —  Spread,  Davy  ; 
spread,  Davy.     Well  said,  Davy. 

Falsiaff.   This  Davy  serves  you  for  good  uses ;  he  is   10 
your  serving-man  and  your  husband. 

Shallo7v.  A  good  varlet,  a  good  varlet,  a  very  good 
varlet.  Sir  John  —  by  the  mass,  I  have  drunk  too  much 
sack  at  supper  !  —  a  good  varlet.  —  Now  sit  down,  now 
sit  down.  —  Come,  cousin. 

Silence.    Ah,  sirrah  !  quoth-a,  we  shall  \_Sings] 

Do  nothing  but  eat,  and  make  good  cheer. 

And  praise  God  for  the  merry  year  ; 

When  flesh  is  cheap  and  females  dear, 

And  lusty  lads  roam  here  and  there  20 

So  merrily, 
And  ever  among  so  merrily. 
Falsfaff.    There  's  a  merry  heart  !  —  Good  Master 
Silence,  I  '11  give  you  a  health  for  that  anon. 

Shallow.    Give  Master  Bardolph  some  wine,  Davy. 

Daiy.    Sweet  sir,  sit ;  I  '11  be  with  you  anon  ;  most 

sweet  sir,  sit.  —  Master  page,  good  master  page,  sit. 

Proface  !     What   you    want   in   meat,-  we  'Ih  have    in 

drink.     But  you  must  bear ;  the  heart 's  all.        \_Exit. 

Shallow.    Be  merry,  Master  Bardolph;  —  and,  my  30 
litde  soldier  there,  be  merry. 


Scene  III]   Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    139 

Silence.    [Sings] 

Be  merry,  be  merry,  my  wife  has  all. 

For  women  are  shi'etvs,  both  sho?-t  and  tall ; 

^T  is  fnerry  in  hall  when  beards  wag  all, 

And  welcome  merry  Shrove-tide. 

Be  merry,  be  merry. 

Falstaff.    I  did  not  think  ]\laster  Silence  had  been 

a  man  of  this  mettle. 

Silence.   Who,  I?     I  have   been   merry  twice  and 

once  ere  now.  40 

Re-enter  Davy 

Davy.    There  's  a  dish  of  leather-coats  for  you. 

\To  Bjxrdolph. 
Shallow.    Davy  ! 

Davy.   Your  worship  !  —  I  '11  be  with  you  straight 
\to  Bardolph'\.  —  A  cup  of  wine,  sir? 
Siiejice.    [Sings] 

A  cup  of  wine  that's  brisk  and  fine, 
And  drink  unto  the  leman  mine  ; 
And  a  merry  heart  lives  long-a. 
Falstaff.    Well  said,  Master  Silence. 
Silence.    An  we  shall  be  merry,  now  comes  in  the 
sweet  o'  the  night.  50 

Falstaff.    Health  and  long  life  to  you.  Master  Silence. 
Silence.    [Sings] 

Fill  the  cup,  and  let  it  come  ; 
I'' II pledge  you  a  mile  to  the  bottom. 
Shallow.    Honest  Bardolph,  welcome  ;  if  thou  want- 
est  any  thing  and  will  not  call,  beshrew  thy  heart.  — 


140    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV       [Act  v 

Welcome,  my  little  tiny  thief  [/o  the  Page\  and  wel- 
come indeed  too.  —  I  '11  drink  to  Master  Bardolph,  and 
to  all  the  cavaleros  about  London. 

Davy.   I  hope  to  see  London  once  ere  I  die. 

Bardolph.    An  I  might  see  you  there,  Davy,  —  60 

Shallow.  By  the  mass,  you  '11  crack  a  quart  together, 
ha  !  will  you  not.  Master  Bardolph? 

Bardolph.    Yea,  sir,  in  a  pottle-pot. 

Shallow.  By  God's  liggens,  I  thank  thee. — The 
knave  will  stick  by  thee,  I  can  assure  thee  that.  A' 
will  not  out ;  he  is  true  bred. 

Bardolph.    And  I  '11  stick  by  him,  sir. 

Shallotv.  Why,  there  spoke  a  king.  Lack  nothing ; 
be  merry.  —  \_Kiiocking  unlhin.']  Look  who  's  at  door 
there.  —  Ho!  who  knocks?  \_Exit  Davy.  70 

Falstaff.    Why,  now  you  have  done  me  right. 

[  To  Silence,  seeing  him  take  off  a  bumper. 

Silence.    [Sings]    Do  me  right, 

And  dub  me  knight ; 
Samingo. 
Is  't  not  so? 

Falstaff.    'T  is  so. 

Silence.  Is  't  so  ?  Why  then,  say  an  old  man  can 
do  somewhat. 

Re-enter  Davy 

Davy.  An  't  please  your  worship,  there  's  one  Pistol 
come  from  the  court  with  news.  80 

Falstaff.    From  the  court !  let  him  come  in.  — 


Scene  III]   Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    141 

Enter  Pistol 

How  now,  Pistol  ! 

Pistol.    Sir  John,  God  save  you  ! 

Falstaff.    What  wind  blew  you  hither,  Pistol? 

Pistol.  Not  the  ill  wind  which  blows  no  man  to 
good.  Sweet  knight,  thou  art  now  one  of  the  greatest 
men  in  this  realm. 

Silence.  By  'r  lady,  I  think  a'  be,  but  goodman  Puff 
of  Barson. 

Pistol.    Puff!  9° 

Puff  in  thy  teeth,  most  recreant  coward  base  !  — 
Sir  John,  I  am  thy  Pistol  and  thy  friend, 
And  helter-skelter  have  I  rode  to  thee. 
And  tidings  do  I  bring,  and  lucky  joys, 
And  golden  times,  and  happy  news  of  price. 

Falstaff.  I  pray  thee  now,  deliver  them  like  a  man 
of  this  world. 

Pistol.  A  foutra  for  the  world  and  worldlings  base  ! 
I  speak  of  Africa  and  golden  joys. 

Falstaff.  O  base  Assyrian  knight,  what  is  thy  news  ! 
Let  King  Cophetua  know  the  truth  thereof.  loi 

Silence.    [Sings]  And  Robin  Hood,  Scarlet,  and  John. 

Pistol.    Shall  dunghill  curs  confront  the  Helicons? 
And  shall  good  news  be  baffled? 
Then,  Pistol,  lay  thy  head  in  Furies'  lap. 

Silence.  Honest  gentleman,  I  know  not  your  breed- 
ing. 

Pistol.   Why  then,  lament  therefore. 


142    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV       [Act  v 

S/ia/Ami.    Give  me  pardon,  sir.  —  If,  sir,  you  come 
with  news  from  the  court,  I  take  it  there's  but  two  no 
ways,  —  either  to  utter  them,  or  to  conceal  them.     1 
am,  sir,  under  the  Icing  in  some  authority. 

Pistol.   Under  which  king,  bezonian?  speak,  or  die. 

Shallow.    Under  King  Harry. 

Pistol.  Harry  the  Fourth?  or  Fifth? 

Shalhnu.    Harry  the  Fourth. 

Pistol.  A  foutra  for  thine  office  !  — 

Sir  John,  thy  tender  lambkin  now  is  king ; 
Harry  the  Fifth  's  the  man.     I  speak  the  truth ; 
When  Pistol  lies,  do  this,  and  fig  me,  hke 
The  bragging  Spaniard. 

Falstaff.    What,  is  the  old  king  dead?  120 

Pistol.    As  nail  in  door;  the  things  I  speak  are  just. 

Falstaff.  Away,  Bardolph  !  saddle  my  horse.  — 
Master  Robert  Shallow,  choose  what  office  thou  wilt 
in  the  landjJUsJhine.  —  Pistol,  I  will  double-charge 
thee  with  dignities. 

Bardolph.  O  joyful  day  !  —  I  would  not  take  a 
knighthood  for  my  fortune. 

Pistol.   What !  I  do  bring  good  news? 

Falstaff.  Carry  Master  Silence  to  bed.  —  Master 
Shallow,  my  Lord  Shallow,  —  be  what  thou  wilt ;  I  am  130 
fortune's  steward  —  get  on  thy  boots;  we'll  ride  all 
night.  —  O  sweet  Pistol  !  —  Away,  Bardolph  !  —  \_Exit 
Bardolph?^  Come,  Pistol,  utter  more  to  me  ;  and 
withal  devise  something  to  do  thyself  good.  —  Boot, 
boot,  Master  Shallow;  I  know  the  young  king  is  sick 


Scene  IV]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    143 

for  me.  Let  us  take  any  man's  horses ;  the  laws  of 
England  are  at  my  commandment.  Blessed  are  they 
that  have  been  my  friends,  and  woe  t^olSy  lord  chief- 
justice  ! 

Pistol.    Let  vultures  vile  seize  on  his  lungs  also  !         140 
'Where  is  the  life  that  late  I  led?'  say  they  : 
Why,  here  it  is ;  welcome  these  pleasant  days  !   \_Exeunf. 

Scene   IV.     London.     A  Street 

Enter  Beadles,  dragging  in  Hostess  Quickly  and  Doll 

Tearsheet 

Hostess.  No,  thou  arrant  knave,  I  would  to  God 
that  I  might  die,  that  I  might  have  thee  hanged ;  thou 
hast  drawn  my  shoulder  out  of  joint. 

I  Beadle.  The  constables  have  delivered  her  over  to 
me,  and  she  shall  have  whipping-cheer  enough,  I  war- 
rant her ;  there  hath  been  a  man  or  two  lately  killed 
aljout  her. 

Doll.  Nut-hook,  nut-hook,  you  lie.  Come  on,  thou 
damned  tripe-visaged  rascal,  thou  paper-faced  villain. 

Hostess.    O  the  Lord,  that  Sir  John  would  come  !  he   10 
would  make  this  a  bloody  day  to  somebody. 

I  Beadle.  Come,  I  charge  you  both  go  with  me  ; 
for  the  man  is  dead  that  you  and  Pistol  beat  amongst 
you. 

Doll.  I  '11  tell  you  what,  you  thin  man  in  a  censer,  I 
will  have  you  as  soundly  swinged  for  this,  —  you  blue- 
bottle rogue,  you  filthy  famished  correctioner,  if  you 
be  not  swinged,  I  '11  forswear  half-kirtles. 


144    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV       [Act  V 

I  Beadle.    Come,  come,  you  she  knight-errant,  come. 

Hostess.  O  God,  that  right  should  thus  overcome 
might !     Well,  of  sufferance  comes  ease.  21 

Doll.  Come,  you  rogue,  come;  bring  me  to  a  jus- 
tice. 

Hostess.    Ay,  come,  you  starved  blood-hound. 

Doll.    Goodman  death,  goodman  bones  ! 

Hostess.   Thou  atomy,  thou  ! 

Doll.    Come,  you  thin  thing ;  come,  you  rascal. 

I  Beadle.   Very  well.  \_Exeunt. 

Scene  V.     A  Public  Place  near  Westminster  Abbey 
Enter  two  Grooms,  stretaing  rushes 

1  Groom.    More  rushes,  more  rushes. 

2  Groom.   The  trumpets  have  sounded  twice. 

I  Groom.  'T  will  be  two  o'clock  ere  they  come 
from  the  coronation.     Dispatch,  dispatch.  \_Exeiint. 

Enter  Falstaff,  Shallow,  Pistol,  Bardolph,  and  Page 

Falstaff.  Stand  here  by  me.  Master  Robert  Shallow  ; 
T  will  make  the  king  do  you  grace.  I  will  leer  upon 
him  as  a'  comes  by ;  and  do  but  mark  the  counte- 
nance that  he  will  give  me. 

Pistol.    God  bless  thy  lungs,  good  knight ! 

Falstaff.    Come  here,  Pistol ;  stand  behind  me.  —  10 
O,  if  I  had  had  time  to   have  mad-e  new  hveries,  I 
would  have  bestowed  the  thousand  pound  I  borrowed 
of  you.     But 't  is  no  matter,  this  poor  show  doth  bet- 
ter ;  this  doth  infer  the  zeal  I  had  to  see  him. 


Scene  V]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV     145 

Shallow.    It  doth  so. 

Fills taff.    It  shows  my  earnestness  of  affection, — 

Shallow.    It  doth  so. 
■  Falstaff.    My  devotion,  — 

Shallow.    It  doth,  it  doth,  it  doth. 

Falstaff.    As  it  were,  to  ride  day  and  night;   and  20 
not  to  deUberate,  not  to  remember,  not  to  have  pa- 
tience to  shift  me,  — 

Shallow.    It  is  best,  certain. 

Falstaff.  But  to  stand  stained  with  travel,  and 
sweating  with  desire  to  see  him ;  thinking  of  nothing 
else,  putting  all  affairs  else  in  oblivion,  as  if  there  were 
nothing  else  to  be  done  but  to  see  him. 

Pistol.  'T  is  semper  idem,  for  obsque  hoc  nihil  est; 
't  is  all  in  every  part. 

Shalloiv.    'T  is  so,  indeed.  3° 

Pistol.    j\Iy  knight,  I  will  inflame  my  noble  liver, 
And  make  thee  rage. 

Thy  Doll,  and  Helen  of  thy  noble  thoughts, 
Is  in  base  durance  and  contagious  prison ; 
Hal'd  thither 

By  most  mechanical  and  dirty  hand.  — 
Rouse    up   revenge    from    ebon    den    with    fell    Alecto's 

snake, 
For  Doll  is  in.     Pistol  speaks  nought  but  truth. 

Falstaff.    I  will  deliver  her. 

\Shoiit  withiti,  and  the  tni^npets  sound. 

Pistol.   There    roar'd    the    sea,    and    trumpet- clangor 
sounds.  40 

2   HENRY   IV  —  10 


146    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV"       [Act  v 

E7iter  the  King  ami  his  train,  the  Lord  Chief-Justice 

among  them 

Falstaff.   God  save  thy  grace,  King   Hal !   my   royal 
Hal! 

Pistol.   The  heavens  thee  guard  and  keep,  most  royal 
imp  of  fame  ! 

Falstaff.    God  save  thee,  my  sweet  boy  ! 

King.    My  lord  chief-justice,  speak  to  that  vain  man. 

Chief -Justice.    Have   you   your  wits?   know  you    what 
't  is  you  speak? 

Falstaff.    My  king  !    my  Jove  !    I  speak  to  thee,  my 
heart ! 

King.    I  know  thee  not,  old  man  ;  fall  to  thy  prayers. 
How  ill  white  hairs  become  a  fool  and  jester  ! 
I  have  long  dream'd  of  such  a  kind  of  man, 
So  surfeit-swell'd,  so  old,  and  so  profane  ;  50 

But,  being  awak'd,  I  do  despise  my  dream. 
Make  less  thy  body  hence,  and  more  thy  grace ; 
Leave  gormandizing ;  know  the  grave  doth  gape 
For  thee  thrice  wider  than  for  other  men.  '  /    . 

Reply  not  to  me  with  a  fool-born  jest. 
Presume  not  that  I  am  the  thing  I  was. 
For  God  doth  know,  so  shall  the  world  perceive, 
That  I  have  turn'd  away  my  former  self; 
So  will  I  those  that  kept  me  company. 
When  thou  dost  hear  I  am  as  I  have  been,  60 

Approach  me,  and  thou  shalt  be  as  thou  wast, 
The  tutor  and  the  feeder  of  my  riots ; 


Scene  V]    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV     147 

Till  then,  I  banish  thee,  on  pain  of  death. 

As  I  have  done  the  rest  of  my  misleaders, 

Not  to  come  near  our  person  by  ten  mile. 

For  competence  of  life  I  will  allow  you, 

That  lack  of  means  enforce  you  not  to  evil; 

And,  as  we  hear  you  do  reform  yourselves. 

We  will,  according  to  your  strengths  and  qualities. 

Give  you  advancement.  —  Be  it  your  charge,  my  lord, 

\^To  Chief -Justice. 
To  see  perform'd  the  tenor  of  our  word.  —  71 

Set  on.  \_Exeiint  King,  etc. 

Falstaff.  Master  Shallow,  I  owe  you  a  thousand 
pound. 

Shalhnv.  Yea,  marry,  Sir  John,  which  I  beseech 
you  to  let  me  have  home  with  me. 

Falstaff.  That  can  hardly  be,  Master  Shallow.  Do 
not  you  grieve  at  this ;  I  shall  be  sent  for  in  private 
to  him.  Look  you,  he  must  seem  thus  to  the  world. 
Fear  not  your  advancements ;  I  will  be  the  man  yet 
that  shall  make  you  great.  81 

Shallow.  I  cannot  well  perceive  how,  unless  you 
should  give  me  your  doublet  and  stuff  me  out  with 
straw.  I  beseech  you,  good  Sir  John,  let  me  have  five 
hundred  of  my  thousand. 

Falstaff.  Sir,  I  will  be  as  good  as  my  word  ;  this 
that  you  heard  was  but  a  colour. 

Shalloiv.  A  colour  that  I  fear  you  will  die  in, 
Sir  John. 

Falstaff.    Fear  no  colours ;  go  with  me  to  dinner.  — 


148    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV       [Act  v 

Come,  Lieutenant  Pistol ;  —  come,  Bardolph.  —  I  sliall 
be  sent  for  soon  at  night.  92 


Re-enie?-  Prince  John,  the  Lord  Chief-Justice  ;  Officers 

with  them 

Chief-Justice.    Go  carry  Sir  John  Falstaff  to  the  Fleet. 
Take  all  his  company  along  with  him. 

Fa/staff.    My  lord,  my  lord,  — 

Chief-Justice.    I  cannot  now  speak ;    I  will  hear  you 
soon. 
Take  them  away. 

Pistol.   Si  fortuna  me  tormento,  spera  me  contento. 
\_Excuiit  all  but  Prince  John  and  the  Chief -Justice. 

Lancaster.    I  like  this  fair  proceeding  of  the  king's. 
He  hath  intent  his  wonted  followers  100 

Shall  all  be  very  well  provided  for ; 
But  all  are  banish'd  till  their  conversations 
Appear  more  wise  and  modest  to  the  world. 

Chief  Justice.    And  so  they  are. 

Lancaster.    The  king  hath  call'd   his  parliament,  my 
lord. 

Chief  Justice.    He  hath. 

Lancaster.    I  will  lay  odds  that,  ere  this  year  expire, 
We  bear  our  civil  swords  and  native  fire 
As  far  as  France.     I  heard  a  bird  so  sing, 
Whose  music,  to  my  thinking,  pleas'd  the  king. 
Come,  will  you  hence?  \_Exeunt. 


Epilogue]   Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV     149 

Epilogue 

Spoken  by  a  Dancer 

First  my  fear,  then  my  courtesy,  last  my  speech. 
My  fear  is  your  displeasure,  my  courtesy  my  duty, 
and  my  speech  to  beg  your  pardons.  If  you  look  for 
a  good  speech  now,  you  undo  me  ;  for  what  I  have  to 
say  is  of  mine  own  making,  and  what  indeed  I  should 
say  will,  I  doubt,  prove  mine  own  marring.  But  to 
the  purpose,  and  so  to  the  venture.  Be  it  known  to 
you,  as  it  is  very  well,  1  was  lately  here  in  the  end  of  a 
displeasing  play,  to  pray  your  patience  for  it  and  to 
promise  you  a  better.  I  meant  indeed  to  pay  you  10 
with  this,  —  which,  if  like  an  ill  venture  it  come  un- 
luckily home,  I  break,  and  you,  my  gentle  creditors, 
lose.  Here  I  promised  you  I  would  be,  and  here  I 
commit  my  body  to  your  mercies ;  bate  me  some 
and  I  will  pay  you  some,  and,  as  most  debtors  do, 
promise  you  infinitely. 

If  my  tongue  cannot  entreat  you  to  acquit  me,  will 
you  command  me  to  use  my  legs?  and  yet  that  were 
but  light  payment,  to  dance  out  of  your  debt.  But  a 
good  conscience  will  make  any  possible  satisfaction,  20 
and  so  would  I.  All  the  gentlewomen  here  have  for- 
given me  ;  if  the  gendemen  will  not,  then  the  gentle- 
men do  not  agree  with  the  gentlewomen,  which  was 
never  seen  before  in  such  an  assembly. 

One  word  more,  I  beseech  you.     If  you  be  not  too 
much  cloyed  with  f.it  meat,  our  humble  author  will 


150    Second  Part  of  King  Henry  IV    [Epilogue 

continue  the  story,  with  Sir  John  in  it,  and  make  you 
merry  with  fair  Katherine  of  France,  where,  for  any 
thing  I  know,  Falstaff  shall  die  of  a  sweat,  unless 
already  a'  be  killed  with  your  hard  opinions,  for  Old-  30 
castle  died  a  martyr,  and  this  is  not  the  man.  My 
tongue  is  weary ;  when  my  legs  are  too,  I  will  bid  you 
good  night,  —  and  so  kneel  down  before  you  ;  but, 
indeed,  to  pray  for  the  queen. 


NOTES 


Flagons,  Etc. 


NOTES 


Introduction 


The  Metre  of  the  Play.  —  It  should  be  understood  at  the 
outset  that  metre,  or  the  mechanism  of  verse,  is  something  alto- 
gether distinct  from  the  music  of  verse.  The  one  is  matter  of  rule, 
the  other  of  taste  and  feeling.  Music  is  not  an  absolute  necessity 
of  verse  ;  the  metrical  form  is  a  necessity,  being  that  which  consti- 
tutes the  verse. 

The  plays  of  Shakespeare  (with  the  exception  of  rhymed  pas- 
sages, and  of  occasional  songs  and  interludes)  are  all  in  unrhymed 
or  blank  verse  ;  and  the  normal  form  of  this  blank  verse  is  illus- 
trated by  the  second  line  of  the  present  play :  "  The  vent  of  hearing 
when  loud  Rumour  speaks." 

This  line,  it  will  be  seen,  consists  of  ten  syllables,  with  the  even 
syllables  (2d,  4th,  6th,  8th,  and  loth)  accented,  the  odd  syllables 
(ist,  3d,  etc.)  being  unaccented.  Theoretically,  it  is  made  up  of 
five  y^^/ of  two  syllables  each,  with  the  accent  on  the  second  sylla- 
ble. Such  a  foot  is  called  an  iambus  (plural,  iambuses,  or  the 
Latin  iambi),  and  the  form  of  verse  is  called  iambic. 

153 


154  Notes 

This  fundamental  law  of  Shakespeare's  verse  is  subject  to  certain 
modifications,  the  most  important  of  which  are  a*s  follows :  — 

1.  After  the  tenth  syllable  an  unaccented  syllable  (or  even  two 
such  syllables)  may  be  added,  forminj^  what  is  sometimes  called  a 
female  line  ;  as  in  line  i6  :  "  Blown  by  surmises,  jealousies,  conjec- 
tures." The  rhythm  is  complete  with  the  second  syllable  of  con- 
jectures, the  third  being  an  extra  eleventh  syllable.  In  iv.  2.  30  we 
have  two  extra  syllables,  the  rhythm  being  complete  with  the  first 
syllable  of  Lancaster. 

2.  The  accent  in  any  part  of  the  verse  may  be  shifted  from  an 
even  to  an  odd  syllable  ;  as  in  the  first  line  of  the  play :  "  Open 
your  ears,"  etc.;  and  the  fourth  line:  "Making  the  wind  my  post- 
horse,"  etc.  In  both  lines  the  accent  is  shifted  from  the  second 
to  the  first  syllable.  This  change  occurs  very  rarely  in  the  tenth 
syllable,  and  seldom  in  the  fourth  ;  and  it  is  not  allowable  in  two 
successive  accented  syllables. 

3.  An  extra  unaccented  syllable  may  occur  in  any  part  of  the 
line  ;  as  in  lines  3,  6,  and  19.  In  3  the  second  syllable  of  orient 
is  superfluous  ;  in  6  the  third  syllable  of  continual ;  and  in  19  the 
second  of  wavering. 

4.  Any  unaccented  syllable,  occurring  in  an  even  place  immedi- 
ately before  or  after  an  even  syllable  which  is  properly  accented,  is 
reckoned  as  accented  for  the  purposes  of  the  verse  ;  as,  for  instance, 
in  lines  9  and  23,  In  9  the  last  syllable  of  enmity,  and  in  23  that 
of  victory,  are  metrically  equivalent  to  accented  syllables  ;  and  so 
with  the  third  syllable  of  Shrewsbury  in  24  and  34,  and  the  fourth 
of  Northumberland  in  36. 

5.  In  many  instances  in  Shakespeare  words  must  be  lengthened 
in  order  to  fill  out  the  rhythm :  — 

(«)  In  a  large  class  of  words  in  which  4  or  i  is  followed  by 
another  vowel,  the  e  or  i  is  made  a  separate  syllable  ;  as  ocean, 
opinion,  soldier,  patience,  partial,  marriage,  etc.  For  instance, 
line  26  of  this  play  appears  to  have  only  nine  syllables,  but  rebellion 
is  a  quadrisyllable,  as  in  i.  I.  50  below.     Other  instances  of  the 


Notes  155 

kind  (for  which  see  the  notes)  are  action,  imagination,  destruction, 
expectation,  ocean,  occasion,  commission,  partition,  valiant,  etc. 
This  lengthening  occurs  most  frequently  at  the  end  of  the  line. 

(^)  Many  monosyllables  ending  in  r,  re,  rs,  res,  preceded  by  a 
long  vowel  or  diphthong,  are  often  made  dissyllables ;  2.%  fare,  fear, 
dear,  fire,  hair,  hour,  more,  your,  etc.  If  the  word  is  repeated  in 
a  verse,  it  is  often  both  monosyllable  and  dissyllable  ;  as  in  M.  of 
V.  iii.  2.  20:  "And  so,  though  yours,  not  yours.  Prove  it  so," 
where  either  jv^wj  (preferably  the  first)  is  a  dissyllable,  the  other 
being  a  monosyllable.  In/.  C.  iii.  I.  172:  "As  fire  drives  out  fire, 
so  pity,  pity,"  the  first  fire  is  a  dissyllable. 

(f)  Words  containing  /  or  r,  preceded  by  another  consonant, 
are  often  pronounced  as  if  a  vowel  came  between  or  after  the 
consonants ;  as  in  iv.  i.  161  :  "A  rotten  case  abides  no  handling" 
[handl(e)ing]  ;  T.  of  S.  ii.  i.  158  :  "  While  she  did  call  me  rascal 
fiddler  "  [fiddl(e)er]  ;  Alfs  Well,  iii.  5.  43  =  "  If  you  will  tarry,  holy 
pilgrim"  [pilg(e)rim];  C.  of  E.  v.  i.  360:  "These  are  the  parents 
of  these  children"  (childeren,  the  original  form  of  the  word); 
W.  T.  iv.  4.  76:  "Grace  and  remembrance  [rememb(e) ranee]  be 
to  you  both  !  "  etc. 

{d)  Monosyllabic  exclamations  {ay,  O,  yea,  nay,  hail,  etc.)  and 
monosyllables  otherwise  emphasized  are  similarly  lengthened ;  also 
some  longer  words,  as  commandement  in  M.  of  V.  iv.  i.  451 ;  safety 
(trisyllable)  in  Ham.  i.  3.  21;  business  (trisyllable,  as  originally 
pronounced)  in/.  C.  iv.  i.  22:  "To  groan  and  sweat  under  the 
business"  (so  in  several  other  passages);  and  other  words  men- 
tioned in  the  notes  to  the  plays  in  which  they  occur. 

6.  Words  are  also  contracted  for  metrical  reasons,  like  plurals 
and  possessives  ending  in  a  sibilant,  as  corpse  (plural  ;  as  in  i.  I. 
192),  balance,  horse  (for  horses  and  horse's),  princess,  sense,  mar- 
riage (plural  and  possessive),  iviage,  etc.  So  with  many  adjectives 
in  the  superlative  (like  cold'st,  stern' st,  kindest,  secrefst,  etc.),  and 
certain  other  words. 

7.  The   accent  of  words  is  also  varied  in   many  instances  for 


156  Notes 

metrical  reasons.  Thus  we  find  both  7'!veiiiie  and  revenue  in  the 
first  scene  of  M.  iV.  D.  (lines  6  and  15S),  cdiifme  (noun)  and  con- 
fine, mdture  and  maitire,  pursue  and  pursue,  distinct  and  distinct, 
etc. 

These  instances  of  variable  accent  must  not  be  confounded  with 
those  in  which  words  were  uniformly  accented  differently  in  the 
time  of  Shakespeare ;  like  aspect,  impdrtune,  sepi'dchre  (verb), 
persever  (never  persei'ere),  perseverance,  rheiimatic,  etc. 

8.  Alexandrines,  or  verses  of  twelve  syllables,  with  six  accents, 
occur  here  and  there  in  the  plays.  They  must  not  be  confounded 
with  female  lines  with  two  extra  syllables  (see  on  i  above)  or  with 
other  lines  in  which  two  extra  unaccented  syllables  may  occur. 

9.  Incomplete  verses,  of  one  or  more  syllables,  are  scattered 
through  the  plays.     See  iii.  i.  37,  57,  iv.  i.  i,  iv.  2.  loi,  in,  etc. 

10.  Doggerel  measure  is  used  in  the  very  earliest  comedies  (Z.  Z. 
Z.  and  C.  of  E.  in  particular)  in  the  mouths  of  comic  characters, 
but  nowhere  else  in  those  plays,  and  never  anywhere  in  plays 
written  after  1598. 

11.  Rhyme  occurs  frequently  in  the  early  plays,  but  diminishes 
with  comparative  regularity  from  that  period  until  the  latest. 
Thus,  in  Z.  L.  Z.  there  are  about  iioo  rhyming  verses  (about 
one-third  of  the  whole  number),  in  M.  A^.  D.  about  900,  in 
Rich.  II.  and  R.  and  J.  about  500  each,  while  in  Cor.  and  A. 
and  C.  there  are  only  about  40  each,  in  Temp,  only  two,  and  in 
VV.  T.  none  at  all,  except  in  the  chorus  introducing  act  iv.  Songs, 
interludes,  and  other  matter  not  in  ten-syllable  measure  are  not 
included  in  this  enumeration.  In  the  present  play,  out  of  some 
1500  ten-syllable  verses,  only  about  50  are  in  rhyme. 

Alternate  rhymes  are  found  only  in  plays  written  before  1599  or 
1600.  In  M.  of  V.  there  are  only  four  linss  at  the  end  of  iii.  2. 
In  Much  Ado  and  A.  Y.  Z.,  we  also  find  a  few  lines,  but  none  at  all 
in  this  and  subsequent  plays. 

Rhymed  couplets,  or  "rhyme-tags"  are  often  found  at  the  end  of 
scenes ;  as  in  8  of  the  19  scenes  of  the  present  play.     In  Ham. 


Notes  157 

14  out  of  20  scenes,  and  in  Macb.  21  out  of  28,  have  such  "tags  ;" 
but  in  the  latest  plays  they  are  not  so  frequent.  In  Temp.,  for 
instance,  there  is  but  one,  and  in  IV.  T.  none. 

12.  In  this  edition  of  Shakespeare,  the  final  -ed  of  past  tenses 
and  participles  iii  verse  is  printed  -d  when  the  word  is  to  be 
pronounced  in  the  ordinary  way;  as  in  prepared,  line  12,  and 
rumour''d,  line  33,  of  the  induction  to  this  play.  But  when  the 
metre  requires  that  the  -ed  be  made  a  separate  syllable,  the  e  is 
retained;  as  in  commenced,  line  5,  where  the  word  is  a  trisyllable. 
The  only  variation  from  this  rule  is  in  verbs  like  c}y,  die,  sue,  etc., 
the  -ed  of  which  is  very  rarely,  if  ever,  made  a  separate  syllable. 

Shakespeare's  Use  of  Verse  and  Prose  in  the  Plays.  — 
This  is  a  subject  to  which  the  critics  have  given  very  little  atten- 
tion, but  it  is  an  interesting  study.  This  play  has  scenes  entirely 
in  verse  or  in  prose,  and  others  in  which  the  two  are  mixed. 
In  general,  we  may  say  that  verse  is  used  for  what  is  distinctly 
poetical,  and  prose  for  what  is  not  poetical.  The  distinction,  how- 
ever, is  not  so  clearly  marked  in  the  earlier  as  in  the  later  plays. 
The  second  scene  of  RI.  of  V.,  for  instance,  is  in  prose,  because 
Portia  and  Nerissa  are  talking  about  the  suitors  in  a  famihar 
and  playful  way ;  but  in  T.  G.  of  V.,  where  Julia  and  Lucetta  are 
discussing  the  suitors  of  the  former  in  much  the  same  fashion,  the 
scene  is  in  verse.  Dowden,  commenting  on  Kick.  II.,  remarks : 
"  Had  Shakespeare  written  the  play  a  few  years  later,  we  may  be 
certain  that  the  gardener  and  his  servants  (iii.  4)  would  not  have 
uttered  stately  speeches  in  verse,  but  would  have  spoken  homely 
prose,  and  that  humour  would  have  mingled  with  the  pathos  of  the 
scene.  The  same  remark  may  be  made  with  reference  to  the  sub- 
sequent scene  (v.  5)  in  which  his  groom  visits  the  dethroned  king 
in  the  Tower."  Comic  characters  and  those  in  low  life  generally 
speak  in  prose  in  the  later  plays,  as  Dowden  intimates,  but  in  the 
very  earliest  ones  doggerel  verse  is  much  used  instead.  See  on  10 
above. 

The  change  from  prose  to  verse  is  well  illustrated  in  the  third 


.J8 


Notes 


scene  of  AI.  of  V.  It  begins  with  plain  prosaic  talk  about  a  busi- 
ness matter ;  but  when  Antonio  enters,  it  rises  at  once  to  the 
higher  level  of  poetry.  The  sight  of  Antonio  reminds  Shylock  of 
his  hatred  of  the  Merchant,  and  the  passion  expresses  itself  in  verse, 
the  vernacular  tongue  of  poetry.  We  have  a  similar  change  in 
the  first  scene  ofy.  C,  where,  after  the  quibbling  "chaff"  of  the 
mechanics  about  their  trades,  the  mention  of  Pompey  reminds  the 
Tribune  of  their  plebeian  fickleness,  and  his  scorn  and  indignation 
flame  out  in  most  eloquent  verse. 

The  reasons  for  the  choice  of  prose  or  verse  are  not  always  so 
clear  as  in  these  instances.  We  are  seldom  puzzled  to  explain  the 
prose,  but  not  unfrequently  we  meet  with  verse  where  we  might 
expect  prose.  As  Professor  Corson  remarks  (^Introduction  to  Shake- 
speare, 1889),  "Shakespeare  adopted  verse  as  the  general  tenor  of 
his  language,  and  therefore  expressed  much  in  verse  that  is  within 
the  capabilities  of  prose  ;  in  other  words,  his  verse  constantly  en- 
croaches upon  the  domain  of  prose,  but  his  prose  can  never  be  said 
to  encroach  upon  the  domain  of  verse."  If  in  rare  instances  we 
think  we  find  exceptions  to  this  latter  statement,  and  prose  actually 
seems  to  usurp  the  place  of  verse,  I  believe  that  careful  study  of 
the  passage  will  prove  the  supposed  exception  to  be  apparent  rather 
than  real. 

Some  Books  for  Teachers  and  Students.  —  A  few  out  of 
the  many  books  that  might  be  commended  to  the  teacher  and  the 
critical  student  are  the  following:  Halliwell-Phillipps's  Outlines  of 
the  Life  of  Shakespeare  (7th  ed.  1887)  ;  Sidney  Lee's  Life  of  Shake- 
speare (1898;  for  ordinary  students  the  abridged  ed.  of  1899  is 
preferable);  Schmidt's  Shakespeare  Lexicon  (3d  ed.  1902);  Little- 
dale's  ed.  of  Dyce's  Glossary  (1902);  Bartlett's  Concordance  to 
Shakespeare  (1895);  Abbott's  Shakespearian  Grammar  (1873); 
Furness's  "  New  Variorum "  ed.  of  the  plays  (encyclopaedic  and 
exhaustive);  Dowden's  Shakspere :  LLis  Mind  and  Art  (Ameri- 
can ed.  1881);  Hudson's  Life,  Art,  and  Characters  of  Shakespeare 
(revised  ed.    1882);    Mrs.  Jameson's    Characteristics   of  Women 


Notes  159 

(several  eds. ;  some  with  the  title,  Shakespeare  Heroines) ;  Ten 
'Qnx^'s  Five  Lectures  on  Shakespeare  {iZg^);  Boas's  Shakespeare 
and  His  Predecessors  (1895);  Dyer's  Folk-lore  of  Shakespeare 
(American  ed.  1884);  Gervinus's  Shakespeare  Commentaries  (Bun- 
nett's  translation,  1875);  Wordsworth's  Shakespeare's  Knowledge 
of  the  Bible  (3d  ed.  1880);    Elson's  Shakespeare  in  Music  (1901). 

Some  of  the  above  books  will  be  useful  to  all  readers  who  are 
interested  in  special  subjects  or  in  general  criticism  of  Shakespeare. 
Among  those  which  are  better  suited  to  the  needs  of  ordinary 
readers  and  students,  the  following  may  be  mentioned:  Mabie's 
William  Shakespeare:  Poet,  Dramatist,  and  Man  (1900);  Dow- 
den's  Shakspere  Primer  (1877;  small  but  invaluable);  Rolfe's 
Shakespeare  the  Boy  (1896  ;  treating  of  the  home  and  school  life, 
the  games  and  sports,  the  manners,  customs,  and  folk-lore  of  the 
poet's  time);  Guerber's  Myths  of  Greece  and  Rome  (for  young 
students  who  may  need  information  on  mythological  allusions  not 
explained  in  the  notes). 

H.   Snowden   ^Yard's    Shakespeare's    Town  and  Times  (2d  ed. 

1902)  and   John    Leyland's    Shakespeare    Country   (enlarged   ed. 

1903)  are  copiously  illustrated  books  (yet  inexpensive)  which  may 
be  particularly  commended  for  school  libraries  ;  and  W.  H.  Brass- 
ington's  Shakespeare's  Homeland  (1903)  deserves  similar  praise. 

Abbreviations  in  the  Notes. — The  abbreviations  of  the 
names  of  Shakespeare's  plays  will  be  readily  understood ;  as 
T.  N.  for  Twelfth  Night,  Cor.  for  Coriolanus,  3  Hen.  VT.  for 
The  Third  Part  of  King  Henry  the  Sixth,  etc.  P.  P.  refers  to 
The  Passionate  Pilgrim  ;  V.  and  A.  to  Vemis  and  Adonis  ;  L.  C. 
to  Lover's  Complaint ;  and  Sonn.  to  the  Sonnets. 

Other  abbreviations  that  hardly  need  explanation  are  Cf  {confer, 
compare),  Fol.  (following),  Ld.  {idem,  the  same),  and  Prol.  (pro- 
logue). The  numbers  of  the  lines  in  the  references  (except  for  the 
present  play)  are  those  of  the  "  Globe  "  edition  (the  cheapest  and 
best  edition  of  Shakespeare  in  one  compact  volume),  which  is 
now  generally  accepted  as  the  standard  for  line-numbers  in  works 


i6o  Notes 

of  reference    (Schmidt's  Lexicon,  Abbott's   Grammar,   Dowden's 
Primer,  the  publications  of  the  New  Shakspere  Society,  etc.). 

The  Story  of  the  Play  as  tolu  ky  IIolinshed. — The 
following  extracts  from  Ilolinshed's  History  of  England  comprise 
all  the  passages  of  any  importance  illustrating  the  play:  — 

"The  king  was  minded  to  have  gone  into  Wales  against  the 
Welsh  rebels,  that,  under  their  chieftain,  Owen  Giendower,  ceased 
not  to  do  much  mischief  still  against  the  English  subjects.  But  at 
the  same  time,  to  his  further  disquieting,  there  was  a  conspiracy 
put  in  practice  against  him  at  home  by  the  earl  of  Northumber- 
land, who  had  conspired  with  Richard  Scroope,  archbisliop  of 
York,  Thomas  Mowbray,  earl  marshal!,  son  to  Thomas,  duke  of 
Norfolk,  who  for  the  quarrel  betwixt  him  and  King  Henry  had 
been  banished,  the  lords  Hastings,  Fauconbridge,  Bardolfe,  and 
diverse  others.  It  was  appointed  that  they  should  meet  alto- 
gether with  their  whole  power  upon  Yorkswold,  at  a  day  assigned, 
and  that  the  carl  of  Northumberland  should  be  chieftain,  promis- 
ing to  bring  with  him  a  great  number  of  Scots.  The  archbishop, 
accompanied  with  the  earl  marshal!,  devised  certain  articles  of 
such  matters  as  it  was  supposed  that,  not  only  the  commonalty 
of  the  realm,  but  also  the  nobility,  found  themselves  grieved  with  : 
which  articles  they  showed  first  unto  such  of  their  adherents  as 
were  near  about  them,  and  after  sent  them  abroad  to  their  friends 
further  off,  assuring  them  that,  for  redress  of  such  oppressions, 
they  would  shed  the  last  drop  of  blood  in  their  bodies,  if  need 
were. 

"  The  archbishop,  not  meaning  to  stay  after  he  saw  himself  ac- 
companied with  a  great  number  of  men,  that  came  flocking  to 
York  to  take  his  part  in  this  quarrel,  forthwith  discovered^  his 
enterprise,  causing  the  articles  aforesaid  to'be  set  up  in  the  public 
streets  of  the  city  of  York,  and  upon  the  gates  of  the  monasteries, 
that  each  man  might  understand  the  cause  that  moved  him  to  rise 

1  Disclosed,  made  known  ;  as  in  R.  and  J.  iii.  i,  147,  etc. 


Notes  1 6 1 

in  arms  against  the  king,  the  reforming  whereof  did  not  yet  apper- 
tain unto  him.  Hereupon  knights,  esquires,  gentlemen,  yeomen, 
and  other  of  the  commons,  as  well  of  the  city,  towns,  and  countries 
about,  being  allured  either  for  desire  of  change,  or  else  for  desire 
to  see  a  reformation  in  such  things  as  were  mentioned  in  the  arti- 
cles, assembled  together  in  great  numbers  ;  and  the  archbishop 
coming  forth  amongst  them,  clad  in  armour,  encouraged,  exhorted, 
and  pricked  them  forth  to  take  the  enterprise  in  hand,  and  man- 
fully to  continue  in  their  begun  purpose  ;  promising  forgiveness  of 
sins  to  all  them  whose  hap  it  was  to  die  in  the  quarrel ;  and  thus, 
not  only  all  the  citizens  of  York,  but  all  other  in  the  countries 
about  that  were  able  to  bear  weapon,  came  to  the  archbishop  and 
the  earl  marshall.  Indeed,  the  respect  that  men  had  to  the  arch- 
bishop caused  them  to  like  the  better  of  the  cause,  since  the  grav- 
ity of  his  age,  his  integrity  of  life,  and  incomparable  learning,  with 
the  reverend  aspect  of  his  amiable  personage,  moved  all  men  to 
have  him  in  no  small  estimation. 

"The  king,  advertised  of  these  matters,  meaning  to  prevent 
them,  left  his  journey  into  Wales,  and  marched  with  all  speed 
towards  the  north  parts.  Also  Rafe  Nevill,  earl  of  Westmoreland, 
that  was  not  far  off,  together  with  the  lord  John  of  Lancaster,  the 
king's  son,  being  informed  of  this  rebellious  attempt,  assembled 
together  such  power  as  they  might  make,  and  together  with  those 
which  were  appointed  to  attend  on  the  said  lord  John,  to  defend 
the  borders  against  the  Scots,  as  the  lord  Henry  Fitzhugh,  the  lord 
Rafe  Evers,  the  lord  Robert  Umfrevill,  and  others,  made  forward 
against  the  rebels,  and  coming  into  a  plain  within  the  forest  of 
Galtree,  caused  their  standards  to  be  pitched  down  in  like  sort 
as  the  archbishop  had  pitched  his  over  against  them,  being  far 
stronger  in  number  of  people  than  the  other,  for  (as  some  write) 
there  were  of  the  rebels  at  the  least  twenty  thousand  men. 

"  When  the  earl  of  Westmoreland  perceived  the  force  of  the  ad- 
versaries, and  that  they  lay  still  and  attempted  not  to  come  forward 
upon  him,  he  subtilly  devised  how  to  quail  their  purpose ;   and 

2  HENRY   IV —  II 


1 62  Notes 

forthwith  despatched  messengers  unto  the  archbishop,  to  under- 
stand the  cause  as  it  were  uf  that  great  assembly,  and  for  what 
cause  (contrary  to  the  king's  peace)  they  came .  so  in  armour. 
The  archbishop  answered,  that  he  took  nothing  in  hand  against 
the  king's  peace,  but  that  whatsoever  he  did  tended  ratlier  to  ad- 
vance the  peace  and  quiet  of  the  commonwealth  than  otherwise; 
and  where  he  and  his  company  were  in  arms,  it  was  for  fear  of  the 
king,  to  whom  he  could  have  no  free  access,  by  reason  of  such  a 
multitude  of  flatterers  as  were  about  him  ;  and  therefore  he  main- 
tained that  his  purpose  to  be  good  and  profitable,  as  well  for  the 
king  himself  as  for  the  realm,  if  men  were  willing  to  understand 
the  truth  ;  and  herewith  he  showed  forth  a  scroll,  in  which  the 
articles  were  written  whereof  before  ye  have  heard. 

"The  messengers  returning  to  the  earl  of  Westmoreland,  showed 
him  what  they  had  heard  and  brought  from  the  archbishop.  When 
he  had  read  the  articles,  he  showed  in  word  and  countenance  out- 
wardly that  he  liked  of  the  archbishop's  holy  and  virtuous  intent 
and  purpose,  promising  that  he  and  his  would  prosecute  the  same 
in  assisting  the  archbishop,  who  rejoicing  hereat  gave  credit  to  the 
earl,  and  persuaded  the  earl  marshall  (against  his  will  as  it  were) 
to  go  with  him  to  a  place  appointed  for  them  to  commune  to- 
gether. Here  when  they  were  met  with  like  number  on  either 
part,  the  articles  were  read  over,  and  without  any  more  ado  the 
earl  of  Westmoreland  and  those  that  were  with  him,  agreed  to  do 
their  best  to  see  that  a  reformation  might  be  had,  according  to  the 
same. 

"The  earl  of  Westmoreland  using  more  policy  than  the  rest: 
Well  (said  he)  then  our  travail  is  come  to  the  wished  end :  and 
where  our  people  have  been  long  in  armour,  let  them  depart  home 
to  their  wonted  trades  and  occupations:  iq,  the  meantime  let  us 
drink  together  in  sign  of  agreement,  that  the  people  on  both  sides 
may  see  it,  and  know  that  it  is  true,  that  we  be  light  at  point. 
They  had  no  sooner  shaken  hands  together,  but  that  a  knight  was 
sent  straightways  from  the  archbishop,  to  bring  word  to  the  people 


Notes  163 

that  there  was  peace  concluded,  commanding  each  man  to  lay 
aside  his  arms,  and  to  resort  home  to  their  houses.  The  people 
beholding  such  tokens  of  peace,  as  shaking  of  hands  and  drinking 
together  of  the  lords  in  loving  manner,  they  being  already  wearied 
with  the  unaccustomed  travail  of  war,  brake  up  their  field  and 
returned  homewards :  but  in  the  meantime,  whilst  the  people  of 
the  archbishop's  side  withdrew  away,  the  number  of  the  contrary 
part  increased,  according  to  order  given  by  the  earl  of  Westmore- 
land ;  and  yet  the  archbishop  perceived  not  that  he  was  deceived, 
until  the  earl  of  Westmoreland  arrested  both  him  and  the  earl  mar- 
shall  with  diverse  other.  Thus  saith  Walsingham.  But  others  write 
somewhat  otherwise  of  this  matter,  affirming  that  the  earl  of  West- 
moreland indeed,  and  the  lord  Rafe  Evers,  procured  the  archbishop 
and  the  earl  marshall  to  come  to  a  communication  with  them,  upon 
a  ground  just  in  the  midway  betwixt  both  the  armies,  where  the 
earl  of  Westmoreland  in  talk  declared  to  them  how  perilous  an  en- 
terprise they  had  taken  in  hand,  so  as  to  raise  the  people,  and  to 
move  war  against  the  king ;  advising  them  therefore  to  submit 
themselves  without  further  delay  unto  the  king's  mercy,  and  his 
son  the  lord  John,  who  was  present  there  in  the  field  with  ban- 
ners spread,  ready  to  try  the  matter  by  dint  of  sword,  if  they 
refused  this  counsel ;  and  therefore  he  willed  them  to  remember 
themselves  well :  and  if  they  would  not  yield  and  crave  the 
king's  pardon,  he  bade  them  to  do  their  best  to  defend  them- 
selves. 

"  Hereupon  as  well  the  archbishop  as  the  earl  marshall  sub- 
mitted themselves  unto  the  king,  and  to  his  son  the  lord  John  that 
was  there  present,  and  returned  not  to  their  army.  Whereupon 
their  troops  scaled  and  fled  their  ways  ;  but  being  pursued,  many 
were  taken,  many  slain,  and  many  spoiled  of  that  that  they  had 
about  them,  and  so  permitted  to  go  their  ways.  Howsoever  the 
matter  was  handled,  true  it  is  that  the  archbishop  and  the  earl 
marshall  were  brought  to  Pomfret  to  the  king,  who  in  this  mean- 
while was  advanced  thither  with  his  power ;   and  from  thence  he 


164 


Notes 


went  to  York,  whither  the  prisoners  were  also  brought,  and  there 
beheaded  the  morrow  after  Whitsunday,  in  a  place  without  the 
city:  that  is  to  understand,  the  archbishop  himself,  the  earl  mar- 
shall,  sir  John  I.aniplcy,  and  sir  Robert  I'knnpton.  Unto  all  wliich 
persons  though  indemnity  were  promised,  yet  was  the  same  to  none 
of  them  at  any  hand  performed. 

"After  the  king,  accordingly  as  seemed  to  him  good,  had  ran- 
somed and  punished  by  grievous  lines  the  citizens  of  York  (which 
had  borne  armour  on  their  archbishop's  side  against  him),  he 
departed  from  York,  with  an  army  of  thirty  and  seven  thousand 
fighting  men,  furnished  with  all  provision  necessary,  marching 
northwards  against  the  earl  of  Northumberland.  At  his  coming 
to  Durham,  the  lord  Hastings,  the  lord  Fauconbridge,  sir  John 
Collevill  of  the  Dale,  and  sir  John  Griffith,  being  convicted  of  the 
conspiracy,  were  there  beheaded.  The  earl  of  Northumberland, 
hearing  that  his  counsel  was  betrayed  and  his  confederates  brought 
to  confusion,  through  too  much  haste  of  the  archbishop  of  York, 
with  three  hundred  horse  got  him  to  Berwick.  The  king  coming 
forward  quickly,  wan  the  castle  of  Warkworth.  Whereupon  the 
earl  of  Northumberland,  not  thinking  himself  in  surety  at  Berwick, 
fled  with  the  lord  Bardolfe  into  Scotland,  where  they  were  received 
of  David,  lord  Fleming. 

"The  earl  of  Northumberland  and  the  lord  Bardolfe,  after  they 
had  been  in  Wales,  in  France,  and  Flanders,  to  purchase  aid 
against  King  Henry,  were  returned  back  into  Scotland,  and  had 
remained  there  now  for  the  space  of  a  whole  year ;  and,  as  their 
evil  fortune  would,  whilst  the  king  held  a  council  of  the  nobility 
at  London,  the  said  earl  of  Northumberland  and  lord  Bardolfe  in 
a  dismal  hour,  with  a  great  power  of  Scots,  returned  into  England, 
recovering  diverse  of  the  earl's  castles  antl  signiories ;  for  the 
people  in  great  numbers  resorted  unto  them.  The  king,  advertised 
hereof,  caused  a  great  army  to  be  assembled,  and  came  forward 
with  the  same  towards  his  enemies  ;  but  ere  the  king  came  to 
Nottingham,  sir  Thomas,  or  (as  other  copies  have)  Rafe  Rokesby, 


Notes  165 

sheriff  of  Yorkshire,  assembled  the  forces  of  the  country  to  resist 
the  earl  and  his  power. 

"  There  was  a  sore  encounter  and  cruel  conflict  betwixt  the  par- 
ties, but  in  the  end  the  victory  fell  to  the  sheriff.  The  lord  Bar- 
dolfe  was  taken,  but  sore  wounded,  so  that  he  shortly  after  died 
of  his  hurts.  As  for  the  earl  of  Northumberland,  he  was  slain 
outright. 

"  The  lord  Henry,  prince  of  Wales,  eldest  son  to  King  Henry, 
got  knowledge  that  certain  of  his  father's  servants  were  busy  to 
give  informations  against  him,  whereby  discord  might  arise  betwixt 
him  and  his  father  ;  for  they  put  into  the  king's  head,  not  only 
what  evil  rule  (according  to  the  course  of  youth)  the  prince  kept, 
to  the  offence  of  many,  but  also  what  great  resort  of  people  came 
to  his  house,  so  that  the  court  was  nothing  furnished  with  such  a 
train  as  daily  followed  the  prince.  These  tales  brought  no  small 
suspicion  into  the  king's  head,  lest  his  son  would  presume  to  usurp 
the  crown,  he  being  yet  alive  ;  through  which  suspicious  jealousy, 
it  was  perceived  that  he  favoured  not  his  son  as  in  times  past  he 
had  done.  The  prince,  sore  offended  with  such  persons  as  by 
slanderous  reports  souglit,  not  only  to  spot  his  good  name  abroad 
in  the  realm,  but  to  sow  discord  also  betwixt  him  and  his  father, 
wrote  his  letters  into  every  part  of  the  realm,  to  reprove  all  such 
slanderous  devices  of  those  that  sought  his  discredit.  And  to  clear 
himself  the  belter,  that  the  world  might  understand  what  wrong 
he  had  to  be  slandered  in  such  wise,  about  the  feast  of  Peter  and 
Paul,  to  wit,  the  nine-and-twentieth  day  of  June,  he  came  to  the 
court,  with  such  a  numlier  of  noblemen  and  other  his  friends  that 
wished  him  well,  as  the  like  train  had  been  seldom  seen  repairing 
to  the  court  at  any  one  time  in  those  days.  The  court  was  then 
at  Westminster,  where  he  being  entered  into  the  hall,  not  one  of 
his  company  durst  once  advance  himself  further  than  the  fire  in 
the  same  hall,  notwithstanding  they  were  earnestly  requested  by 
the  lords  to  come  higher ;  but  they,  regarding  what  they  had  in 
commandment  of  the  prince,  would  not  presume  to  do  in  any  thing 


1 66  Notes 

contrary  thereunto.  He  himself,  only  accompanied  with  those  of 
the  king's  house,  was  straight  admitted  to  the  presence  of  the  king 
his  father,  who  being  at  that  time  grievously  diseased,  yet  caused 
himself  in  his  chair  to  be  borne  into  his  privy  chamber,  where,  in 
the  presence  of  three  or  four  persons  in  whom  he  had  most  con- 
fidence, he  commanded  the  prince  to  show  what  he  had  to  say 
concerning  the  cause  of  his  coming. 

"The  prince  kneeling  down  before  his  father,  said:  Most  re- 
doubted and  sovereign  lord  and  father,  I  am  at  this  time  come  to 
your  presence  as  your  liege  man,  and  as  your  natural  son,  in  all 
things  to  be  at  your  commandment.  And  where  I  understand 
you  have  in  suspicion  my  demeanour  against  your  grace,  you  know 
very  well,  that  if  I  knew  any  man  within  this  realm  of  whom  you 
should  stand  in  fear,  my  duty  were  to  punish  that  person,  thereby 
to  remove  that  grief  from  your  heart.  Then  how  much  more  ought 
I  to  suffer  death,  to  ease  your  grace  of  that  grief  which  you  have 
of  me,  being  your  natural  son  and  liege  man  ;  and  to  that  end  I 
have  this  day  made  myself  ready  by  confession  and  receiving  the 
sacrament.  And  therefore  I  beseech  you,  most  redoubted  lord 
and  dear  father,  for  the  honour  of  God,  to  ease  your  heart  of  all 
such  suspicion  as  you  have  of  me,  and  to  despatch  me  here  before 
your  knees  with  this  same  dagger  (and  withal  he  delivered  unto 
the  king  his  dagger  in  all  humble  reverence,  adding  further,  that 
his  life  was  not  so  dear  to  him  that  he  wished  to  live  one  day  with 
his  displeasure)  ;  and  therefore,  in  thus  ridding  me  out  of  life,  and 
yourself  from  all  suspicion,  here  in  presence  of  these  lords,  and 
before  God  at  the  day  of  the  general  judgment,  I  faithfully  protest 
clearly  to  forgive  you. 

"The  king,  moved  herewith,  cast  from  him  the  dagger,  and, 
embracing  the  prince,  kissed  him,  and  with  shedding  tears  con- 
fessed, that  indeed  he  had  him  partly  in  suspicion,  though  now  (as 
he  perceived)  not  with  just  cause  ;  and  therefore  from  thenceforth 
no  misreport  should  cause  him  to  have  him  in  mistrust ;  and  this 
he  promised  of  his  honour. 


Notes  167 

"Thus  were  the  father  and  the  son  reconciled,  betwixt  whom 
the  said  pickthanks  had  sown  division,  insomuch  thai  the  son, 
upon  a  vehement  conceit  of  unkindness  sprung  in  the  father  was 
in  the  way  to  be  worn  out  of  favour ;  which  was  the  more  likely 
to  come  to  pass,  by  their  informations  that  privily  charged  him 
with  riot,  and  other  uncivil  demeanour  unseemly  for  a  prince.  In- 
deed, he  was  youthfully  given,  grown  to  audacity,  and  had  chosen 
him  companions  agreeable  to  his  age,  with  whom  he  spent  the  time 
in  such  recreations,  exercises,  and  delights  as  he  fancied.  But  yet 
it  should  seem  (by  the  report  of  some  writers)  that  his  behaviour 
was  not  offensive,  or  at  least  tending  to  the  damage  of  anybody ; 
sith  he  had  a  care  to  avoid  doing  of  wrong,  and  to  tender  his  affec- 
tions within  the  tract  of  virtue,  whereby  he  opened  unto  himself 
a  ready  passage  of  good  liking  among  the  prudent  sort,  and  was 
beloved  of  such  as  could  discern  his  disposition,  which  was  in  no 
degree  so  excessive,  as  that  he  deserved  in  such  vehement  manner 
to  be  suspected, 

"  In  this  fourteenth  and  last  year  of  King  Henry's  reign,  a  coun- 
cil was  holden  in  the  Whitefriars  in  London,  at  the  which,  among 
other  things,  order  was  taken  for  ships  and  gallies  to  be  builded 
and  made  ready,  and  all  other  things  necessary  to  be  provided,  for 
a  voyage  which  he  meant  to  make  into  the  holy  land,  there  to  re- 
cover the  city  of  Jerusalem  from  the  infidels.  For  it  grieved  him 
to  consider  the  great  malice  of  Christian  princes  that  were  bent 
upon  a  mischievous  purpose  to  destroy  one  another,  to  the  peril  of 
their  own  souls,  rather  than  to  make  war  against  the  enemies  of  the 
Christian  faith,  as  in  conscience  (it  seemed  to  him)  they  were 
bound.  He  held  his  Christmas  this  year  at  Eltham,  being  sore 
vexed  with  sickness,  so  that  it  was  thought  sometime  that  he  had 
been  dead  ;  notwithstanding  it  pleased  God  that  he  somewhat  re- 
covered his  strength  again,  and  so  passed  that  Christmas  with  as 
much  joy  as  he  might. 

"The  morrow  after  Candlemas  day  began  a  parliament  which  he 
had  called  at  London,  but  he  departed  this  life  before  the  same 


1 68  Notes 

parliament  was  ended ;  for  now  that  his  provisions  were  ready,  and 
that  he  was  furnished  witli  sufficient  treasure,  soldiers,  captains, 
victuals,  munitions,  tall  ships,  strong  gallies,  and  all  things  neces- 
sary for  such  a  royal  journey  as  he  pretended  to  take  into  the  holy 
land,  he  was  eftsoons  taken  with  a  sore  sickness,  which  was  not  a 
leprosy,  stricken  by  the  hand  of  God  (saith  Maister  Hall),  as  fool- 
ish friars  imagined,  i)ut  a  very  apoplexy.  During  this  his  last  sick- 
ness he  caused  his  crown  (as  some  write)  to  be  set  on  a  pillow  at 
his  bed's  head,  and  suddenly  his  pangs  so  troubled  him,  that  he  lay 
as  though  all  his  vital  spirits  had  been  from  him  departed.  Such 
as  were  about  him,  thinking  verily  that  he  had  been  departed,  cov- 
ered his  face  with  a  linen  cloth.  The  prince  his  son,  being  hereof 
advertised,  entered  into  the  chamber,  took  away  the  crown,  and 
departed.  The  father,  being  suddenly  revived  out  of  that  trance, 
quickly  perceived  the  lack  of  his  crown  ;  and,  having  knowledge 
that  the  prince  his  son  had  taken  it  away,  caused  him  to  come  be- 
fore his  presence,  requiring  of  him  what  he  meant  so  to  misuse  him- 
self. The  prince  with  a  good  audacity  answered :  Sir,  to  mine  and 
all  men's  judgments,  you  seemed  dead  in  this  world  ;  wherefore,  I, 
as  your  next  heir  apparent,  took  that  as  mine  own,  and  not  as  yours. 
Well,  fair  son  (said  the  king  with  a  great  sigh),  what  right  I  had 
to  it,  God  knoweth.  Well  (said  the  prince),  if  you  die  king,  I  will 
have  the  garland,  and  trust  to  keep  it  with  the  sword  against  all 
mine  enemies,  as  you  have  done.  Then,  said  the  king,  I  commit 
all  to  God  ;  and  remember  you  do  well.  With  that  he  turned  him- 
self in  his  bed,  and  shortly  after  departed  to  God,  in  a  chamber  of 
the  abbot's  of  Westminster  called  Jerusalem,  the  twentieth  day  of 
March,  in  the  year  141 3,  in  the  year  of  his  age  46,  when  he  had 
reigned  thirteen  years  five  months  and  odd  days. 

"  We  find  that  he  was  taken  with  his  last  -sickness  while  he  was 
making  his  prayers  at  saint  Edward's  shrine,  there  as  it  were  to 
take  his  leave  and  so  to  proceed  forth  on  his  journey.  He  was  so 
suddenly  and  grievously  taken,  that  such  as  were  about  him  feared 
lest  he  would  have  died  presently.     Wherefore,  to  relieve  him  (if  it 


Notes  169 

were  possible),  they  bare  him  unto  a  chamber  that  was  next  at 
hand  belonging  to  the  abbot  of  Westminster,  where  they  laid  him 
on  a  pallet  before  the  fire,  and  used  all  remedies  to  revive  him. 
At  length  he  recovered  his  speech  and  understanding,  and  perceiv- 
ing himself  in  a  strange  place  which  he  knew  not,  he  willed  to 
know  if  the  chamber  had  any  particular  name  ;  whereunto  answer 
was  made  that  it  was  Jerusalem.  Then,  said  the  king,  lauds  lie 
given  to  the  Father  of  heaven  ;  for  now  I  know  that  I  shall  die 
here  in  this  chamber,  according  to  the  prophecy  of  me  declared, 
that  I  should  depart  this  life  in  Jerusalem. 

"  Henry,  prince  of  Wales,  son  and  heir  to  King  Henry  the  Fourth, 
born  in  Wales,  at  Monmouth  on  the  river  of  Wye,  after  his  father 
was  departed  took  upon  him  the  regiment  of  this  realm  of  England, 
the  twentieth  of  March,  141 3,  the  morrow  after  proclaimed  king  by 
the  name  of  Henry  the  Fifth.  This  king  even  at  first  appointing 
with  himself  to  show  that  in  his  person  princely  honours  should 
change  public  manners,  he  determined  to  put  on  him  the  shape  of  a 
new  man.  For  whereas  aforetime  he  had  made  himself  a  compan- 
ion unto  misruly  mates  of  dissolute  order  and  life,  he  now  banished 
them  all  from  his  presence  (but  not  unrewarded,  or  else  unpre- 
ferred),  inhibiting  them,  upon  a  great  pain,  not  once  to  approach, 
lodge,  or  sojourn  within  ten  miles  of  his  court  or  presence  ;  and  in 
their  places  he  chose  men  of  gravity,  wit,  and  high  policy,  by  whose 
wise  counsel  he  might  at  all  times  rule  to  his  honour  and  dignity ; 
calling  to  mind  how  once,  to  high  offence  of  the  king  his  father,  he 
had  with  his  fist  stricken  the  chief  justice,  for  sending  one  of  his 
minions  1  (upon  desert)  to  prison,  when  the  justice  stoutly  com- 
manded himself  also  straight  to  ward,  and  he  (then  prince)  obeyed. 
The  king  after  expelled  him  out  of  his  privy  council,  banished  him 
the  court,  and  made  the  duke  of  Clarence,  his  younger  brother, 
president  of  council  in  his  stead." 

1  Favourites.     Cf.  K.  John,  ii.  i.  392,  Macb.  i.  2.  19,  etc. 


lyo 


Notes 


DRAMATIS   PERSONS 

In  the  1st  folio  the  last  scene  of  the  play  ends  on  p.  lOO,  with 
"  FINIS  "  appended  and  a  "  tail-piece '"  which  (ills  out  the  page. 
The  Epilogue  occupies  the  next  page,  which  is  not  numbered,  and 
on  the  back  of  this  we  find  the  following  list  of  characters:  — 


THE  ACTORS  NAMES 


RvMOVR  the  Presenter. 

King  Henry  the  Fourth. 

Prince  Henry,  afterwards  Crowned  King  Henrie  the  Fift. 

Prince  lohn  of  Lancaster.  'J  „  ..     tt         ..u     t-      ^i.    o 

bonnes  to  Henry  the  Fourth,  & 

brethren  to  Henry  5. 


Humphrey  of  Gloucester. 
Thomas  of  Clarence. 


Northumberland. 

The  Arch  Byshop  of  Yorke. 

Mowbray. 

Hastings. 

Lord  Bardolfe. 

Trauers. 

Morton. 

Coleuile. 

Warwicke. 

Westmerland. 

Surrey. 

Gowre. 

Harecourt.  I 

Lord  Chiefe  lustice.J 

Shallow.  \  Both  Country 

Silence,  j      lustices. 

Dauie,  Seruant  to  Shallow. 

Phang,  and  Snare,  2.  Serieants.  Drawers 

Mouldie.  \  Beadles. 

Shadow.    I  Groomes 

Wart.        \  Country  Soldiers 

Feeble.      | 

Bullcalfe.  J 


Opposites  against  King  Henrie  the 
Fourth. 


Of  the  Kings 
Partie. 


Pointz. 

Falstaffe. 

Bardolphe.      Irregular 

Pistoll.         j  Humorists. 

Peto.  I 

Page.  J 


Northumberlands  Wife. 
Percies  Widdow. 
Hostesse  Quickly. 
Doll  Teare-sheete. 
Epilogue. 


Notes  171 


INDUCTION 

In  the  folio  this  is  headed  "  Actus  Primus.  Scoena  Prima. 
Indvction."  In  the  quarto  there  is  no  division  into  acts  and 
scenes. 

I.  Enter  Rumour,  painted  full  of  tongues.  This  is  according 
to  the  quarto  ;  the  folio  has  simply  "  Enter  Rumour!^  Warton 
quotes  Holinshed's  description  of  a  pageant  exhibited  in  the  court 
of  Henry  VIII. :  "  Then  entered  a  person  called  Report,  apparelled 
in  crimson  sattin,  full  of  toongs,  or  chronicles."  Farmer  remarks 
that   Stephen   Hawes,  in  his  Pastime  of  Pleasure,  had  described 

Rumour  as 

"  A  goodly  lady,  envyroned  about 
With  tongues  of  fire ;  " 

and  so  had  Sir  Thomas  More,  in  one  of  his  Pageants :  — 

"  Fame  I  am  called,  merveyle  you  nothing 
Though  with  tonges  I  am  compassed  all  rounde." 

Cf.  also  Chaucer,  The  House  of  Fame,  298 :  — 

"  And  sothe  to  tellen  also  sheC 
Had  also  fele  up  stondyng  eres 
And  tonges,  as  on  bestes  heres." 

This  description,  as  the  context  shows,  was  suggested  by  Virgil's  in 
Aineid,  iv.  174  fol.,  to  which  the  others  quoted  above  were  doubt- 
less also  indebted. 

Judge  Holmes,  in  his  Authorship  of  Shakespeare,  among  his 
"  parallelisms  "  between  Bacon  and  Shakespeare,  cites  this  descrip- 
tion of  Rumour  and  the  following  from  Bacon's  Essay  of  Fame  : 
"  The  poets  make  fame  a  7nonster.  They  describe  her  in  part  finely 
and  elegantly  ;  and  in  part  gravely  and  sententiously.  They  say, 
look  how  many  feathers  she  hath;  so  many  eyes  she  hath  under- 
neath ;  so  many  tongues ;  so  many  voices  ;  she  pricks  up  so  many 
ears.    This  is  a  flourish.     There  follow  excellent  parables  ;  as  that 


ijl  Notes 

she  gathereth  strength  in  going  ;  that  she  goeth  upon  the  ground 
and  yet  hideth  her  head  in  the  elouds  ;  that  in  the  daytime  she 
sitteth  in  a  watch-tower,  and  flieth  most  by  night ;  that  she  min- 
gleth  things  done  with  tilings  not  done,  and  that  she  is  a  terror  to 
great  cities." 

It  will  be  seen  that  this  is  almost  a  literal  translation  of  Virgil's 
description  ;  even  the  word  monster,  which  the  Judge  italicizes  as 
parallel  to  "  the  blunt  monster  with  uncounted  heads,"  being 
directly  suggested  by  the  "  monstriiui  horrendum  "  of  the  Latin. 
And  yet  it  is  quoted  as  one  of  the  "  instances  of  striking  resem- 
blances, in  particular  words  and  phrases,  lying  beyond  the  range  of 
accidental  coincidence,"  etc. ! 

3.  Drooping.  Sinking,  declining.  Malone  quotes  J\/acb.  iii.  2, 
52 :  "  Good  things  of  day  begin  to  droop  and  drowse,"  etc. 

12.  Fearful.     Full  of  fear  ;   as  in  I  Hen.  IV.  iv.  I.  67,  etc. 

13.  Big.     Pregnant;   as  in  W.  T.  iv.  I.  64,  Cynib.  i.  i.  39,  etc. 
15.    And  no  such  matter?     And  it  is  nothing  of  the  kind.     Cf. 

Sonn.  87.  14 :  "  In  sleep  a  king,  but  waking  no  such  matter  ;  " 
Much  Ado,  ii.  3.  225  :  "  The  sport  will  be,  when  they  hold  one  an 
opinion  of  another's  dotage,  and  no  such  matter,"  etc. 

17.  Stop.  The  holes  in  a  pipe  or  flute  are  called  stops.  Cf. 
Ham.  iii.  2.  76,  376,  381,  etc. 

18.  Blunt.     Dull,  stupid  ;   as  in  T.  G.  of  V.  ii.  6.  41 :  — 

"  But,  Valentine  being  gone,  I  '11  quickly  cross 
By  some  sly  trick  blunt  Thurio's  dull  proceeding." 

20.  What  need  I,  etc.  Why  need  I,  etc.  Cf.  i.  2.  107  below: 
"What  tell  you  me  of  it?"  See  also  R.ofL.  31,/.  C.  ii.  i.  123, 
Hen.  Vni.  ii.  4.  12S,  etc. 

26.    Rebellion.     A  quadrisyllable  ;   as  in  i.- 1.  50  below. 

33.   Peasant.     Here  =  provincial,  or  rural. 

37.  Crafty-sick.  Craftily  sick,  or  feigning  sickness.  The 
hyphen  is  not  in  the  early  eds.  In  these  compound  adjectives,  the 
first  part  is  often  adverbial. 


Notes  173 


ACT  I 

Scene  I. —  i.  The  Porter  opens  the  gate.  The  quarto  reads: 
"  Enter  the  Lord  Bardolfe  at  one  doore  ;  "  the  folios  :  "  Ettter  Lord 
Bardolfe,  and  the  Porter.''' 

2.  What.  Who ;  as  often.  Cf.  i.  2.  59  below  :  "  What's  he 
that  goes  there? " 

5.    Please  it.     If  it  please  ;   as  often. 

8.  Stratagem.  "  A  dreadful  deed,  any  thing  amazing  and  appall- 
ing" (Schmidt).  Cf.  M.  of  V.  v.  I.  85:  "fit  for  treasons,  strata- 
gems, and  spoils  ;  "  3  Lien.  VI.  ii.  5.  89:  "What  stratagems,  how 
fell,  how  butcherly,"  etc. 

13.  God.  Changed  in  the  folios  to  "heaven,"  as  in  many  other 
cases,  on  account  of  King  James's  statute  forbidding  the  use  of  the 
name  of  God  on  the  stage. 

19.  Braivn.  Mass  of  flesh  ;  applied  contemptuously  to  Falstaff, 
as  in  I  Hen.  IV.  ii.  4.  123:   "that  damned  brawn." 

20.  Day.  Day  of  battle,  combat ;  as  often.  Cf.  52  and  i.  2. 
150  below, 

21.  Follow'' d.  That  is,  the  advantage  gained  being  followed  up. 
Cf.  iii.  I.  75  :  "thus  did  he  follow  it"  (that  is,  follow  it  up).  See 
also  T.  N.\.  I.  373  :   "  How  with  a  sportful  malice  it  was  foUow'd." 

30.  Over-rode.  Outrode,  rode  past  ;  used  by  S.  only  here.  Cf. 
overrun  —  outrun,  in  Hen.    VIII.  i.  I.  143. 

37.  Forspent.  Exhausted,  worn  out.  Cf.  3  Hen.  VI.  ii.  3.  I  : 
"Forspent  with  toil,  as  runners  with  a  race."  In  Hen.  V.  ii.  4.  36. 
forspent  =  foregone,  past.  Steevens  quotes  Sir  A.  Gorges,  trans, 
of  Incan  :  "  crabbed  sires,  forspent  with  age."  Fordone  is  used  in 
the  same  sense  in  AI.  A\  D.v.  i.  381. 

45.  Poor  jade.  "  Used  not  in  contempt  but  in  compassion " 
(Steevens).  Malone  cites  Rich.  II.  v.  5.  85  :  "That  jade  hath  eat 
bread  from  my  royal  hand  ;  "  but  there  something  of  reproach  may 
be  implied. 

47.   Devour  the  way.     Cf.  Catullus,  ad  Papyr.  7  :  "  viam  vorabit." 


174  Notes  [Act  I 

Steevens  quotes /,?(5,  xxxix.  24,  and  Jonson,  Sejanits  \.  10 :  "they 
greedily  devour  the  way." 

48.  Staying  no  longer  question.  Cf.  M.  of  V.  iv.  I.  346 :  "  I  '11 
Stay  no  longer  question."     See  also  M.  N.  D.  ii.  i.  235. 

53.  Point.  A  tagged  lace,  used  in  fastening  parts  of  the  dress, 
especially  the  breeches.  Cf.  ii.  4.  163  below,  where  it  may  mean 
some  mark  of  his  commission,  like  the  modern  "shoulder-straps." 

56.  Instances.  Details  (Schmidt).  Some  make  it  =  evidences, 
proofs;   as  in  iii.  i.  103  below. 

57.  Hilding.  Base,  menial.  S.  also  uses  it  as  a  noun  (its 
proper  sense);   as  in  R.  and  J,  ii.  4.  44,  iii.  5.  169,  etc. 

60.  Title-leaf.  Steevens  remarks  that  in  the  time  of  S.  the  title- 
page  to  an  elegy  was  entirely  black ;  but  the  simile  is  equally  ex- 
pressive if  we  take  title-leaf  in  its  ordinary  sense. 

63.  Usurpation.  Metrically  five  syllables.  See  on  ind.  26 
above.  A  witnessed  jisurpation  =  "  traces  that  bear  witness  to  its 
invasion." 

69.  Apter.  For  the  comparative,  cf.  A.  Y.  L.  iii.  2.  408 :  "  she 
is  apter  to  do  than  to  confess  she  does."  The  superlative  occurs  in 
213  below. 

71.  Woe-begone.  This  compound,  which  is  familiar  enough  now, 
seems  to  have  been  less  common  half  a  century  ago.  Warburton 
and  Steevens  think  it  necessary  to  define  and  illustrate  it.  S.  uses 
the  word  nowhere  else. 

72.  Dreiv  Priat?i's  curtain.  That  is,  drew  it  aside.  Cf.  i  Hen. 
IV.  iv.  I.  73,  etc.  It  is  also  used  in  the  other  sense  ;  as  in  M.  ofV. 
iii.  7.  78,  ii.  9.  84,  etc. 

86.  Instinct.  Accented  on  the  last  syllable,  as  elsewhere  in  S.  Cf. 
Cymh.  iv.  2.  177:  "That  an  invisible  instinct  should  frame  them  ;  " 
Rich.  III.  ii.  3. 42  :  "  By  a  divine  instinct  men^s  minds  mistrust,"  etc. 

87.  Morton.     Here  accented  on  the  second  syllable. 

93.  Yet,  for  all  this,  etc.  Johnson  would  give  this  line  to 
Bardolph,  as  inconsistent  with  what  follows.  The  contradiction 
cannot,  he  says,  be  imputed  to  the  distraction  of  Northumberland's 


Scene  IJ  Notes  175 

mind,  on  account  of  "  the  calmness  of  the  reflection  contained  in 
the  last  lines."  He  also  gave  lines  100-103  to  Morton,  as  "  a  proper 
preparation  for  the  tale  that  he  is  unwilling  to  tell."  The  old  text 
may  well  enough  stand  if  we  assume  a  pause  after  this  first  line. 
Northumberland  is  not  willing  to  accept  the  intimation  expressed 
in  the  preceding  speech.  "And  yet,"  he  says,  "  don't  tell  me  that 
he  is  dead."  But  his  appealing  words  and  look  meet  with  no  en- 
couraging response  in  Morton's  face,  and  he  goes  on,  "  I  see  a 
strange  confession,"  etc. 

95.  Fear.  Something  to  be  afraid  of,  a  fearful  thing.  Cf.  iv. 
5.  196  below. 

102.  Sullen.  Cf.  Son7t.  71.  2  :  "the  surly  sullen  bell  ;  "  R.  and  J. 
iv.  5.  88 :  "  Our  solemn  hymns  to  sullen  dirges  change,"  etc.  See 
also  Milton,  //  Fens.  76  :   "  Swinging  slow  with  sullen  roar." 

103.  Knolliug.  The  folio  reading  ;  the  quartos  have  "  tolling." 
Cf.  A.  Y.  L.  ii.  7.  114:  "where  bells  have  knoll'd  to  church;  " 
and  Macb.  v.  8.  50  :  "  his  knell  is  knoU'd."  Malone  took  depart- 
itig  to  be  =  departed  ;  but,  as  Steevens  notes,  the  allusion  is  to 
"  the  passing  bell,  that  is,  the  bell  that  solicited  prayers  for  the 
soul  passing  into  another  world." 

108.  Quittance.  Requital,  return  of  blows.  The  word  is  used 
as  a  verb  (=  requite,  retaliate)  in  i  Hen.  VI.  ii.  I.  14.  Oiit- 
breaiVd  =  out  of  breath,  exhausted. 

112.     In  few.     In  few  words,  in  short ;   as  not  unfrequently. 

114.  Bruited.  Noised  abroad.  Cf.  Macb.  v.  7.  22,  Hani.  i.  2. 
127,  etc. 

T17.  Abated.  "  Reduced  to  lo"ver  temper,  or,  as  the  workmen 
call  it,  let  down'"  (Johnson).  Clarke  remarks:  "So  correctly 
maintained  in  technical  appropriateness  are  many  of  Shakespeare's 
figurative  allusions  that  he  often  uses  words  with  peculiar  and  un- 
usually inclusive  force,  which  should  be  examined  and  known,  in 
order  fully  to  appreciate  the  whole  scope  of  his  passages." 

120.  Enforcement.  Application  of  force.  Cf.  A.  IV.  v.  3.  107: 
"  by  what  rough  enforcement,"  etc. 


176 


Notes  [Act  I 


128.  Had  three  times  slain,  etc.     See  i  Hen.  IV.  v.  3. 

129.  Can  vail  Itis  stomach.  Began  to  lower  his  pride  or  cour- 
age. Cf.  T.  of  S.  V.  2.  176:  "  Then  vail  your  stomachs,  for  it  is 
no  boot."  This  vail  (Fr.  avaler')  has  been  often  confounded  with 
veil,  even  by  critical  scholars. 

133.    Power.     Armed  force  ;    as  in  iv.  4.  5  below. 
135.    At  fall.     In  full,  fully;    as  in  M.  for  M.  i.  i.  44,  C.  of  E.  i. 
I.  123,  etc. 

137.  In  poison  there  is  physic.  Vaughan  remarks:  "  S.  seems 
to  have  heard  the  just  old  maxim  of  medicine,  '  Ubi  virus,  ibi  vir- 
tus ;  '  but  he  has  added  to  it  explanations  so  expressed  as  to  fur- 
nish a  good  motto  for  the  modern  principle  of  homicopathy." 

These  news.  The  quarto  reading  ;  the  folios  have  "  this  news." 
S.  uses  the  forms  interchangeably. 

138.  Having  been  'veil,  etc.  Such  transposition  of  participial 
clauses  is  not  uncommon. 

141.  Streitgthless.  Cf.  V.  and  A.  153:  "Two  strengthless 
doves  ;  "    R.   of  L.  709  :   "  Strengthless  pace,"  etc. 

Buckle  =  bow,  or  bend.  Cf.  the  Yankee  expression,  "  buckle 
down  to  it."      Jonson  uses  the  word  in  his  Staple  of  News,  ii.  I :  — 

"  And  teach  this  body 
To  bend,  and  these  my  aged  knees  to  buckle, 
In  adoration  and  just  worship  of  you." 

144.  The  first  grief  =  pain  ;   as  in   i  Hen.  IV.  i.  3.  51  and  v.  i. 

134- 

145.  Nice.     "  Over-delicate,  effeminate  "  (Qarke). 

147.  Quoif     Cap,  or  hood  ;   as  in  W.  T.  iv.  4.  226. 

148.  Wanton.  Luxurious.  Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  iii.  i.  214:  "the 
wanton  rushes,"  etc. 

149.  Flesh' d.  "Made  fierce  and  eager  for  combat,  as  a  dog  fed 
with  flesh  only"  (Schmidt).  Cf.  Hen.  T.  iii.  3.  11  :  "the  flesh'd 
soldier,"  etc. 


Scene  I]  Notes  1 77 

151.  Ragged' si.  Roughest,  wildest.  Cf.  A.  V.  L.  ii.  5.  15  :  "My 
voice  is  ragged." 

156.  To  feed  contention,  etc.  "Where  civil  war  drags  out  its 
course  in  successive  scenes"  (Herford). 

157.  Cain.  Cf.  L.  L.  L.  iv.  2.  36,  K.  John,  iii.  4.  79,  Rich.  II. 
V.  6.  43,  I  Hen.  VI.  i.  3.  39,  and  Ham.  v.  i.  85. 

160.  And  daj'kness,  etc.  "The  conclusion  of  this  noble  speech 
is  extremely  striking.  There  is  no  need  to  suppose  it  exactly  philo- 
sophical ;  darkness,  in  poetry,  may  be  absence  of  eyes,  as  well  as  pri- 
vation (if  light.  Yet  we  may  remark  that  by  an  ancient  opinion  it 
has  been  held  that  if  the  human  race,  for  whom  the  world  was 
made,  were  extirpated,  the  whole  system  of  sublunary  nature  would 
cease  "  (Johnson). 

Vaughan  remarks :  "  Johnson  did  not  fully  apprehend  the  ima- 
gery of  this  passage,  in  which  there  is  no  want  of  perfect  and  lit- 
eral fidelity  to  the  truth.  Da)-kness  here  means  objective  darkness. 
.  .  .  The  metaphor  is  one  drawn  from  the  stage  on  which  trage- 
dies are  exhibited,  as  the  words  stage,  act,  and  scene  intimate  ;  and 
it  is  perfectly  sustained  from  beginning  to  end.  He  prays  that  the 
world  may  become  a  stage  for  the  exhibition,  not  of  a  prolonged 
contention,  but  of  such  a  truculent  and  furious  death-struggle  as 
will  quickly  culminate  in  the  catastrophe  of  a  vast  slaughter,  and 
that  the  dead  lying  on  the  ground  may  be  buried  out  of  sight  by  a 
darkness  which  will  envelop  everything.  It  is  certain  that  during 
the  performance  the  stage  was  artificially  lighted,  and  the  rest  of 
the  theatre  also  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  these  lights  were  extin- 
guished immediately  on  the  close  of  the  performance.  The  parallel- 
ism of  the  actual  atrocity  wished  for  to  the  tragical  representation 
by  which  it  is  illustrated  is  sustained  into  the  darkness  which  ends 
both." 

161.  Strained.     Exaggerated,  excessive. 

163.  Complices.  Accomplices,  confederates.  Cf.  Rich.  II.  ii.  3. 
165,  iii.  I.  43,  etc. 

165.    Perforce.     Of  necessity  ;    as  in  i.  3.  72  and  iv.  5.  34  below. 

2   HENKY    IV —  12 


lyS  Notes  [Act  I 

It  often  means  by  force.     See  on  iv.  i.  Ii6  below.     The  remainder 
of  this  speech  is  omitted  in  the  quarto. 

l66.  Cast.  Calculated.  Cf.  v.  i.  21  below:  "Let  it  be  cast 
and  paid." 

168.  Make  head.      Raise  an  army.      Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  iii.  i.  64:  — 

"  Three  times  hath  Henry  Bolingbroke  made  head 
Against  my  power,"  etc. 

On  head,  cf.  i.  3.  71  below.     Presurniise  =  surmise  or  suspicion  in 
advance  ;   a  word  used  by  S.  nowhere  else. 

169.  Dole.  Dealing,  distribution.  Elsewhere  it  is  =  share,  por- 
tion ;    as  in  A.  W.  ii.  3.  176,  etc. 

170.  On  an  edge.     Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  i.  3.  191 :  — 

"  As  full  of  peril  and  adventurous  spirit 
As  to  o'erwalk  a  current  roaring  loud 
On  the  unsteadfast  footing  of  a  spear." 

172.  Advishl  Well  aware.  Cf.  T.  of  S.  i.  i.  191 :  "But  art 
thou  not  advis'd,"  etc.  (are  you  not  aware,  do  you  not  understand, 
etc.).  Capable  —  susceptible  ;  as  in  K.John,  ii.  I.  476:  "capable 
of  this  ambition;"  Id.  iii.  i.  12:  "capable  of  fears,"  etc. 

174.  Trade.  Activity,  lively  interchange.  Cf.  Hen.  VIII.  v.  I. 
36 :  "  Stands  in  the  gap  and  trade  of  more  preferments  "  (that  is, 
in  the  common  course  of  preferment). 

177.    Stiff-borne.     Obstinately  carried  on. 

180.  Engaged  (0  this  loss.  That  is,  bound  or  tied  to  it  (Schmidt)  ; 
involved  in  it.  Malone  cites  I  Hen.  IV.  iii.  2.  98 :  "  more  worthy 
interest  to  the  state." 

184.  Choked  the  respect  of.  Did  away  with  our  regard  for,  made 
us  indifferent  to.  For  respect  —  consideration,  regard,  cf.  K.John, 
iii.  I.  90,  AF.  of  V.\.  I.  74,  etc, 

189-209.  The  gentle  Archbishop  .  .  .  follow  him.  These  lines 
are  omitted  in  the  quarto. 

190.   Poivers.     Forces.     Cf.  the  use  of  the  singular  in  133  above. 


Scene  II]  Notes  1 79 

192.  Corpse.  Plural ;  as  in  I  Hen.  IV.  i.  I.  43.  See  p.  155 
above. 

196,  Queasiness.     Nausea,  distaste  ;   used  by  S.  only  here. 

197.  T/taL     So  that ;   as  in  iv.  I.  216  below. 

201.  Religion.  A  quadrisyllable.  See  on  ind.  26  above.  Turns 
insurrection  to  religion  —  makes  rebellion  seem  a  sacred  duty. 

204.  Enlarge  his  rising.  Extend  his  insurrection,  increase  the 
number  of  his  followers.      With  —  by  ;   as  often. 

205.  Poinfret.  Alluding  to  Pomfret  Castle,  where,  according  to 
S.,  Richard  was  murdered. 

207.   Bestride.     That  is,  in  defence  of  one   fallen.     Cf.  i  Hen. 

IV.  V.  I.  122:  "Hal,  if  thou  see  me  down  in  the  battle,  and  be- 
stride me,  so,"  etc. 

209.    More  and  less.     High  and  low.     Cf.  I  Hen.  IV.  iv.  3.  68: 
"  The  more  and  less  came  in  with  cap  and  knee,"  etc. 
213.   Aptest.     See  on  69  above. 

Scene  H.  —  l.  What  says  the  doctor,  etc.  "The  method  of 
investigating  diseases  by  the  inspection  of  urine  only  was  once  so 
much  the  fashion  that  Linacre,  the  founder  of  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians, formed  a  statute  to  restrain  apothecaries  from  carrying  the 
water  of  their  patients  to  a  doctor,  and  afterwards  giving  medi- 
cines in  consequence  of  the  opinions  they  received  concerning  it  " 
(Steevens).  Bosvvell  remarks:  "The  same  impudent  quackery  is 
carried  on  at  this  day."  For  the  playful  use  oi  giant,  cf.  T.  N.  i. 
5.  218,  where  it  refers  to  the  petite  Maria. 

4.    Owed.    Owned  ;    as  very  often. 

6.  Gird.  Gibe,  jeer.  Cf.  Cor.  i.  i.  260:  "Being  mov'd,  he 
will  not  spare  to  gird  the  gods."     We  find  the  noun  in   T.  of  S. 

V.  2.  58  and  I  Hen.  VI.  iii.  I.  131. 

15.  Mandrake.  The  forked  root  of  this  plant  was  supposed  to 
resemble  the  human  form. 

17.  Agate.  Alluding  to  the  figures  cut  in  agates  used  for  seals, 
etc.     Cf.  L.  L.  L.  ii.  I.  236:  "His  heart,  like  an  agate,  with  your 


i8o  Notes  [Act  I 

print  impress'd;"  Much  Ado,  iii.   i.  65:    "If  low,  an  agate  very 
vilely  cut,"  etc. 

19.  Juvenal.  Youth ;  a  word  used  elsewhere  in  S.  only  l)y 
Armado  (  L.  L.  L.  i.  2.  S,  iii.    i.  67)  and  Flute  (J/.  N.  D.  iii.    i. 

97)- 

23.    Face-royal.      Playing   on    the    double  sense   of  a  royal  or 

kingly  face  and  the  profile  stamped  on  the  coin  called  a  royal  — 

the  subject  of  many  old  puns. 

25.  For  a  barber,  e-tz.  "The  poet  seems  to  mean  that  a  barber 
can  no  more  earn  sixpence  by  his  face-royal  than  by  the  face 
stamped  on  the  coin  ;  the  one  requiring  as  little  shaving  as  the 
other"  (Steevens).  Mason  explains  it  better:  "if  nothing  be 
taken  out  of  a  royal,  it  will  remain  a  royal  as  it  was." 

31.  Slops.  Loose  breeches.  Cf.  R.  and  J.  ii.  4.  47,  Aluch  Ado, 
iii.  2.  36,  etc. 

34.    Band.     Bond;   as  in  I  I/en.  IV.  iii.  2.  157,  etc. 

36.  His  tongue  be  hotter.  Alluding  to  the  rich  man  in  the 
parable  (^Luke,  xvi.  24). 

Achitophel.  Ahithophel,  the  counsellor  of  Absalom,  cursed  by 
David  (2  Samuel,  xv.  31). 

37.  A  rascally,  yea-forsooth  knave.  A  vulgar  Puritan.  The 
mild  quality  of  citizen  oaths  is  here  again  alluded  to  (see  i  Hen. 
IV.  iii.  I.  252  fob),  and  excites  no  less  disgust  in  Falstaff  than  in 
Hotspur. 

To  bear  a  gentleman  in  hand.  That  is,  to  keep  him  in  expecta- 
tion, flatter  him  with  false  hopes.  Cf.  Aluch  Ado,  iv,  i.  305,  Macb. 
iii.  I.  81,  etc. 

39.  Smooth-pates.  "  A  synonym  for  the  later  and  more  histori- 
cal name  roundheads''"'  (Vaughan). 

41.  If  a  man,  etc.  "  If  a  man  does  his  utmost  in  borrowing,  or 
rather  if  a  man  condescends  to  borrow,  in  an  honourable  manner" 
(Schmidt).  Pope  changed  through  to  "  thorough."  For  take  up 
=  obtain  on  trust,  cf.  Much  Ado,  iii.  3.  191,  etc. 

42.  Had  as  lief.     Good  English  then  as  now. 


Scene  II]  Notes  l8l 

44.  Looked.  Expected.  Cf.  Sonn.'  22.  4 :  "  Then  look  I  death 
my  days  should  expiate."  See  also  Jiich.  II.  i.  3.  243,  Hen.  VIII. 
V.  I.  118,  etc. 

47.  Horn.  There  is  an  allusion  to  the  horn  of  the  cuckold,  and 
also  to  the  use  of  horn  instead  of  glass  in  lanterns,  with  a  play  on 
lightness  (=  wantonness),  for  which  cf.  L.  L.  L.  v.  2.  19  fol.,  M. 
of  V.y.  I.  130,  etc.  Steevens  cites  The  Two  Maids  of  Moreclacke, 
1609 :  — 

"  your  wrongs 
Shine  through  the  horn,  as  candles  in  the  eve, 
To  light  out  others." 

Vaughan  observes  that  the  old  spelling  of  lanthorti  (as  in  the 
quarto)  favours  the  joke,  it  having  arisen  out  of  the  notion  that 
the  article  took  its  name  from  the  horn  used  for  its  sides. 

53.  In  Paul's.  That  is,  in  Old  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  which  was 
a  place  of  daily  resort  for  the  idle  and  unemployed,  as  well  as  for 
the  man  of  business.  Reed  quotes  The  Choice  of  Change,  1598: 
"  a  man  must  not  make  choyce  of  three  things  in  three  places. 
Of  a  wife  in  Westminster  ;  of  a  servant  in  Paules ;  of  a  horse  in 
Smithfield  ;  lest  he  chuse  a  queane,  a  knave,  or  a  jade."  Malone 
adds  from  Osborne,  Memoirs  of  James  I.  :  "  It  was  the  fashion  in 
those  times  ...  for  the  principal  gentry,  lords,  courtiers,  and  men 
of  all  professions,  not  merely  mechanicks,  to  meet  in  St.  Paul's 
church  by  eleven,  and  walk  in  the  middle  aisle  till  twelve,  and 
after  dinner  from  three  to  six ;  during  which  time  some  discoursed 
of  business,  others  of  news.  Now,  in  regard  of  the  universal  com- 
merce—  there  happened  little  that  did  not  first  or  last  arrive  here." 
Before  the  introduction  of  newspapers,  notices  and  advertisements 
were  often  posted  on  the  pillars  in  this  church.  Blakeway  quotes 
the  letter  of  a  servant  in  Harl.  MS.  2050:  "for  yf .  .  .  I  sett  my 
bill  in  Paules,  in  one  or  two  dayes  I  cannot  want  a  servisse."  Cf. 
Nash,  Pierce  Pennilesse :  "the  masterlesse  men,  that  sette  up  their 
bills  in  Paules  for  services."  In  Ben  Jonson's  Every  Man  oiit  of 
his  Humour,  the  scene  through  the  chief  part  of  act  iii.  is  laid  in 


1 82  Notes  [Act  I 

Paul's,  and  the  action  is  in  keeping  with  these  descriptions  of  the 
habits  of  the  place.     Cf.  Kick.  III.  iii.  6.  i :  — 

"  This  is  the  indictment  of  the  good  lord  Hastings ; 
Which  in  a  set  hand  fairly  is  engross'd 
That  it  may  be  this  day  read  over  in  Paul's." 

Bought  is  here  =  hired. 

56.  The  nobleman,  etc.  Sir  William  Gascoigne,  Chief-Justice  of 
the  King's  Bench.     See  also  on  v.  2.  113  below. 

84.  /  had  lied  in  my  throat.  "The  lie  in  the  throat  was  a  lie 
uttered  deliberately ;  the  lie  in  the  teeth  was  one  for  which  some 
excuse  was  allowed  on  the  ground  of  its  having  proceeded  from 
haste  or  some  palliating  cause." 

90.  Grows  to  me.     Is  an  essential  part  of  me. 

91.  Thou  wert  better.     It  were  better  for  thee. 

92.  You  hunt  counter.  You  are  on  the  wrong  scent,  you  are  at 
fault.  The  folio  has  "  Hunt-counter,"  which  is  followed  hy  some 
of  the  modern  eds,  Johnson  defines  hunt-counter  as  "  blunderer," 
and  Ritson  as  "  worthless  dog."  Turbervile,  in  his  Booke  of  Hunt- 
ing, says :  "  When  a  hound  hunteth  backwards  the  same  way  that 
the  chase  is  come,  then  we  say  he  hunteth  counter."  Cf  C.  of  E. 
iv.  2.  39 :  "a  hound  that  runs  counter ;  "  and  Ham.  iv.  5.  1 10 : 
"  O,  this  is  counter,  you  false  Danish  dogs !  " 

no.  Whoreson.  "Applied  not  only  to  persons,  but  -to  any 
thing,  as  a  term  of  reproach  or  ludicrous  dislike,  and  sometimes 
(as  in  the  language  of  Doll  Tearsheet)  used  even  in  a  tone  of 
coarse  tenderness"  (Schmidt).     Cf.  ii.  4.  189  and  197  below. 

116.  What  tell  you,  etc.  Why  tell  you,  etc.  See  on  ind.  20 
above. 

117.  It  original.  This  old  possessive  it  is- used  fourteen  times  by 
S.,  seven  of  them  being  in  the  phrase  it  own.  In  the  next  clause, 
in  his  effects,  we  have  the  usual  his  =  its. 

122.  Very  well,  etc.  This  speech  in  the  quarto  has  the  prefix 
"Old."     See  p.  10  above. 


Scene  II]  Notes  183 

125.  To  punish  you  by  the  keels.  Schmidt  makes  this  =  "to 
set  you  in  the  stocks  ;  "  but  Clarke  quotes  Lord  Campbell:  "To 
iay  by  the  heels  was  the  technical  expression  for  committing  to 
prison,  and  I  could  produce  from  the  Reports  various  instances  of 
its  being  so  used  by  distinguished  judges  from  the  bench."  Cf. 
Hen.  VIII.  V.  4.  83.  The  reply  of  Falstaft"  seems  to  show  that 
imprisonment  is  referred  to  here. 

136.  Advised  by  my  learned  counsel.  As  Clarke  remarks,  Fal- 
staff  had  good  legal  ground  for  not  coming.  Being  engaged  on 
military  service  under  the  king's  order,  he  was  not  bound  to 
answer  the  summons  of  the  Chief-Justice. 

148.  The  fellow  with  the  great  belly.  Probably  an  allusion  to 
some  well-known  blind  beggar  of  the  time  who  was  led  by  his  dog. 

152.  For  your  quiet  & er-posting.  For  your  getting  easily  clear 
of. 

160.  A  wassail  candle.  "A  large  candle  lighted  up  at  a  feast. 
There  is  a  poor  quibble  upon  the  word  wax,  which  signifies 
increase  as  well  as  the  matter  of  the  honey-comb"  (Johnson). 
Steevens  notes  that  a  similar  play  occurs  in  L.  L.  L.  v.  2.  10: 
"That  was  the  way  to  make  his  godhead  wax."  For  wassail  (  = 
drinking-bout,  carousal),  cf.  L.  L.  L.  v.  2.  318:  "wakes  and  was- 
sails ;  "  and  Ham.  i.  4.  9 :  "  keeps  wassail." 

164.  Gravy.  "  Falstaff's  reply  has  an  interest  besides  its  waggish- 
ness,  as  showing  that  gravity  was  pronounced  grave-ity,  preserving 
the  sound  of  its  root ;  else  his  joke  would  have  been  no  joke  at 
all "  (White). 

166.  ///.  The  folio  has  "evil"  ("euill"),  which  White  says  is 
"an  epithet  much  better  suited  to  angel  than  ill;'"  but  compare 
"  ill  spirit  "  in  Temp.  i.  2.  458  and/.  C.  iv.  3.  289. 

Angel,  A  play  upon  the  name  of  the  coin  ;  as  in  Much  Ado,  ii. 
3.  35  and  M.  W.  i.  3.  60. 

169.  I  cannot  go,  I  cajtnot  tell.  Probably  there  is  a  play  on  go 
and  tell  in  the  senses  of  "pass  current"  and  "count  as  good 
money." 


1 84  Notes  [Act  I 

171.  These  costermonger  times.  "These  times  when  the  preva- 
lence of  trade  has  produced  that  meanness  that  rates  the  merit  of 
every  tiling  I)y  money"  (Johnson). 

172.  Bear-herd.  One  wlio  leads  about  a  tame  ijear  as  a  show. 
Cf.  Much  Ado,  ii.  i.  43,  7'.  0/ S.  ind.  2.  21,  etc. 

Pregnancy.  Ready  wit ;  the  only  instance  of  the  noun  in  S. 
Cf.  the  use  of  the  adjective  mHam.W.  2.  212:  "  How  pregnant 
sometimes  his  replies  are  !  " 

177.  The  heat  of  our  livers.  For  the  liver  as  the  seat  of  animal 
passion,  cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  ii.  4.  355,  Temp.  iv.  i.  56,  M.  of  V.\.  i.  81, 
etc.     See  also  v.  5.  31  below. 

178.  Vaxuard.  Literally  =  vanguard,  as  in  Hen.  F.  iv.  3.  130; 
here  used  metaphorically,  as  in  M.  N.  D.  iv.  i.  iio  :  "the  vavvard 
of  the  day." 

185.  Your  ivit  single.  That  is,  simple  or  silly.  Singh  is  thus 
used  only  in  quibbling  (Schmidt).  Cf.  Cor.  ii.  i.  40:  "your  helps 
are  many,  or  else  your  actions  would  grow  wondrous  single." 
Clarke  remarks  here:  "That  the  Chief-Justice  should  use  the 
epithet  single  here  to  express  simple  affords  a  notable  instance  of 
Falstaff' s  being  '  the  cause  that  wit  is  in  other  men  ;  '  and  that  his 
lordship  should  apply  the  epithet  single  to  Falstaff's  7vit  is  as  nota- 
ble a  token  of  how  thoroughly  the  knight's  imperturbable  humour 
has  power  to  put  him  out  of  humour  ;  just  as,  later  in  the  play,  he 
loses  his  temper  so  utterly  as  to  call  Falstaff  'a  gxez.t  fool !  '  " 

186.  Antiquity.  Old  age;  as  in  Sonn.  62.  10,  108.  12,  A.  Y.  L. 
iv.  3.  106,  and  A.  IV.  ii.  3.  220. 

190.    Something  a.     A  somewhat.     Somethi jig  \%  ohen  used  ad- 
verbially ;    as  in  M.  of  V.  \.  I.  124,  129,  ii.  2.  18,  194,  etc. 
192.    Approve.     Prove  ;  as  in  161  above. 
196.   Have  at  him.     That  is,  I  am  ready  for  the  trial. 
198.    Checked.     Reproved  ;  as  in  iii.  i.  68  below. 
200.    Old  sack.     Cf.  Sir  John  Harington,  Epigrams  :  — 

"  Sackcloth  and  cinders  they  advise  to  use ; 
Sack,  cloves,  and  sugar  thou  wouldst  have  to  chuse." 


Scene  III]  Notes  1 85 

210.  Look  you  pray,  etc.  That  is,  take  care  that  you  pray,  etc. 
Cf.  K.John,  iv.  I.  i,  Hen.  V.  ii.  4.  49,  etc. 

215.  Spit  wliite.  A  perplexing  expression.  Clarke  says  :"  Reck- 
oned a  sign  of  thirst  ;  which  Falstaff,  with  his  relish  for  wine, 
desires  to  feel,  as  giving  anticipatory  zest.  Spungius,  in  Massinger's 
Virgin  Martyr,  says,  '  Had  I  been  a  pagan  still,  I  should  not  have 
spit  white  for  want  of  drink.'  "  Furnivall  quotes  Batman  iippon 
Bartholonie,  ed.  1582:  "  If  the  spettle  be  white  viscus,  the  sick- 
nesse  commeth  of  fleame  ;  if  black,  of  melancholy.  .  .  .  The  whitte 
spettle  not  knottie,  signiiieth  health."  Perhaps  this  last  sentence 
is  the  key  to  the  puzzle. 

217.  Well,  I  cannot  last  ever.  The  remainder  of  the  speech  is 
omitted  in  the  folios. 

228.    Pound.     Often  plural  with  numerals. 

230.  To  bear  crosses.  Another  quibble  from  the  venerable 
Chief-Justice.  He  plays  upon  cross,  which  often  meant  a  coin 
stamped  with  a  cross.  Cf.  A.  V.  L.  ii.  4.  12:  "I  should  bear  no 
cross  if  I  did  bear  you ;  for  I  think  you  have  no  money  in  your 
purse."     See  also  L.  L.  L.  i.  2.  36. 

232.  Fillip  me  zuith  a  three-i)ian  beetle.  It  was  a  common  sport 
with  Warwickshire  boys  to  put  a  toad  on  one  end  of  a  short  board 
placed  across  a  small  log,  and  then  to  strike  the  other  end  with  a 
bat,  thus  throwing  the  creature  high  in  the  air.  This  was  called 
filliping  the  toad.  A  three-man  beetle  is  a  heavy  rammer  with 
'three  handles  used  in  driving  piles,  requiring  three  men  to  wield  it. 
Such  a  beetle  would  be  needed  iot filliping  a  weight  like  Falstaff's. 

247.  Colour.  Pretext,  excuse  for  my  halting,  or  lameness.  Cf. 
V.  5.  86  below. 

249.    Commodity.     Profit,  advantage.     Cf.  Lear,  iv.  i.  23:  — 

"  our  mere  defects 
Prove  our  commodities." 

Scene  III.  —  7.   Ln  our  means.     With  the  means  we  have. 

8.    To  look,   etc.     That  is,  to  present  a  sufficiently  bold  front. 


1 86  Notes  [Act  I 

Cf.  the  use  of  look  big  (=  look  boldly  or  threateningly)  in  T.  of  S. 
iii.  2.  230,  VV.  T.  iv.  3.  113,  i  lien.  IV.  iv.  i.  58,  etc. 

9.  Puissance.  Used  as  a  dissyllable  or  a  trisyllable,  according 
to  the  measure.     Cf.  77  below. 

10.  Our  present  musters  grow  upon  the  file.  That  is,  "  the  muster 
file  amounts"  {A.  IV.  iv.  3.  189). 

12.  Supplies.  Reinforcements  ;  as  in  K.fohn,  v.  3.  9,  v.  5.  12, 
I  Hen.  IV.  iv.  3.  3,  etc.     See  also  28  below. 

14.   Incensed.     Kindled,  blazing. 

22.  The/ne.  Matter,  business.  Cf.  Ham.  v.  I.  289:  "  I  will 
fight  with  him  upon  this  theme,"  etc. 

24.    Incertain.     Used  by  S.  interchangeably  with  uncertain. 

27.  Lin^d.  Strengthened,  sustained.  Cf.  I  //^w. /F.  ii.  3.  86 : 
"  To  line  his  enterprise."  See  also  Hen.  V.  ii.  4.  7,  Macb.  i.  3. 
112,  etc. 

28.  Eating  the  air,  etc.  Cf.  Ham.  iii.  2.  99 :  "I  eat  the  air, 
promise-crammed  ;  "  alluding,  as  here,  to  "  the  chameleon's  dish." 

29.  In  project  of  a  power,  c^z.  That  is,  with  expectations  of  a 
force  which  proved  to  be  much  smaller,  etc. 

31.  Imagination.  Metrically  six  syllables.  See  on  ind.  26 
above,  and  cf.   t,2>  ^"d  65  below. 

32.  Proper  to.  Appropriate  to,  belonging  to.  Cf.  y.  C  i.  2.  41  : 
"  Conceptions  only  proper  to  myself;"  Ham.W.  i.  114:  "proper 
to  our  age,"  etc. 

;^2,-  IVinking.  Shutting  his  eyes.  Cf.  R.  of  L.  458,  553,  Sonn. 
43.  I,  K.  John,  ii.  I.  215,  etc.  See  also  the  use  of  the  noun  7uink 
in  Temp.  ii.  i.  285  and  IV.  T.  i.  2.  317. 

36-55.  Yes,  in  .  .  .  or  else.  Omitted  in  the  quarto.  In  the 
folio,  the  passage  begins  thus :  — 

"  Yes,  if  this  present  quality  of  warre," 
Indeed  the  instant  action:  a  cause  on  foot, 
Liues  so  in  hope :  As  in  an  early  Spring,"  etc. 

This  is  unquestionably  corrupt,  and  it  may  be  that  something  has 
been  lost  from  the  text.      Of  the  various  attempts  to  mend  it. 


Scene  III]  Notes  1 87 

Malone's  is  perhaps  the  most  satisfactory,  as  it  certainly  is  the 
simplest.  White,  who  also  adopts  it,  paraphrases  the  opening 
Hnes  as  follows :  "  Yes,  in  this  present  quality,  function,  or  business 
of  war,  it  is  harmful  to  lay  down  likelihoods,  etc.  Indeed  this  very 
action  or  affair  —  a  cause  on  foot^ — -is  no  more  hopeful  of  fruition 
than  the  buds  of  an  unseasonably  early  spring." 

39.  IVhich  to  prove  frtiiL  And  that  these  will  become  fruit. 
For  the  construction,  cf.  A.  V.  L.  v.  4.  171  :  — 

"  This  to  be  true 
I  do  engage  my  life." 

See  also  C.  of  E.  v.  i.  11. 

42.  Model.  Plan.  Cf.  Much  Ado,  i.  3.  48,  Rich.  III.  v.  3.  24, 
etc. 

47.  Itt  fewer  offices.  With  fewer  apartments.  (9^i-f5  was  espe- 
cially applied  to  the  servants'  quarters  in  a  house.  At  least,  as 
Clarke  suggests,  may  here  be  — "  at  worst,  supposing  the  least 
advantageous  prospect." 

52.  Consent.  Agree;  as  in  ^.  F.Z.  v.  1.48:  "  all  your  writers 
do  consent  that  ipse  is  he,"  etc. 

54.  Hozu  able  sucli  a  work,  etc.  Vaughan  remarks  :  "  Two  con- 
structions are  admissible.  First,  '  how  far  such  a  property  is  able  to 
bear  a  work  that  will  counterpoise  the  work  opposed  to  it,  or  the 
opposition  to  be  brought  against  it.'  Such  frequently  refers  in  S. 
to  the  party,  person,  or  quality  last  spoken  of.  The  second  con- 
struction is,  '  how  far  our  estate  is  able  to  bear  the  expense  of  such 
a  work  as  will  counterpoise  that  which  is  opposed  to  it.'  The 
ellipse  of  as  under  such  circumstances  is  not  rare."  I  prefer,  as  he 
does,  the  latter  explanation.  Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  ii.  3.  13:  "and  your 
whole  plot  too  light  for  the  counterpoise  of  so  great  an  opposi- 
tion." 

55.  Opposite.     Opponent ;    as  in  i v.  i.  16  below. 

56.  In  paper.     On  paper  ;    a  common  use  of  in. 

60.  Cost.  Put  for  that  on  which  the  money  has  been  spent,  or 
the  costly  building. 


1 88  Notes  [Act  I 

62.    Churlish.    Rough,  rude.    Cf.  ^.  F.  Z.  ii.  i.  7  :  "And  churlish 
chiding  of  the  winter's  wind." 
67.    Equal  with.     Cope  with. 

71.  Against  the  French.  During  this  rebellion,  a  French  army 
of  twelve  thousand  men  landed  at  Milford  Haven,  in  Wales,  for  the 
aid  of  Glendower  (Steevens). 

72.  Perforce.     Of  necessity.     See  on  i.  i.  165  above. 

73.  Take  up.     Encounter,  cope  with  ;   as  in  Cor.  iii.  i.  244:  — 

"  I  could  myself 
Take  up  a  brace  o'  the  best  of  them,"  etc. 

Unfirm.  Cf.  T.  N.  ii.  4.  34,  /.  C.  i.  3.  4,  R.  and  J.  v.  3.  6,  etc. 
S.  also  uses  infirm  ;  as  in  Macb.  ii.  2.  52,  etc.     See  on  24  above. 

76.  Strengths.  For  the  concrete  use,  cf.  K.fohn,  ii.  i.  388: 
"  your  united  strengths,"  etc. 

77.  Puissance.     Here  a  trisyllable.     See  on  9  above. 

80.  Baying  him.  Chasing  him,  driving  him  to  bay.  Cf.  M. 
N.  D.  iv.  I.  118:  — 

"  When  in  a  wood  of  Crete  they  bay'd  the  bear 
With  hounds  of  Sparta  ;  " 

andy.  C.  iii.  i.  204:  "  Here  wast  thou  bay'd,  brave  hart." 

81.  Like.  Likely;  as  often.  Cf.  yl/.  (?/F.  ii.  7.  49  :  "  Is 't  like 
that  lead  contains  her  ?  " 

82.  Duke  of  Lancaster.  Prince  John  of  Lancaster.  Later  he 
was  made  Duke  of  Bedford  (see  Hen.  V.),  but  he  was  never  Duke 
of  Lancaster. 

85-108.    Let  tis  on,  etc.     This  speech  is  omitted  in  the  quarto. 

91.  Fond.  Foolish  ;  the  commonest  meaning  of  the  word  in  S. 
Douce  considers  many  to  be  =  meytiy,  from-the  Fr.  mcsnie ;  but  it 
is  probably  nothing  more  than  the  adjective  used  as  a  noun  and 
personified. 

94.  Trimin\i  in  thine  own  desires.  A  peculiar  expression,  ap- 
parently =  trimmed  up  (the  2d,  3d,  and  4th  folios  read  "  trimm'd 


Scene  IJ  Notes  1 89 

up  ")  in  the  things  thou  desiredst.     Cf.  Rich.  Ill,  iv.  3.  34 :  "  and 
be  inheritor  of  thy  desire." 

102.  Enainour'd  on.     Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  v.  2.  70,  etc. 

103.  That  threw' St  dust,  etc.     Cf.  Rich.  II.  v.  2.  30:   "But  dust 
was  thrown  upon  his  sacred  head." 

109.    Di'aiv.     Draw  together,  assemble  ;   as  in  K.  John,  iv.  2. 
113,  Cymb.  iii.  5.  25,  etc.     Set  on  =  set  out,  march  ;   as  often. 


ACT   II 


Scene  I.  —  3.    Yeoman.     Under-bailiff,  or  sheriff's  officer. 

16.  Foin.  Thrust;  a  fencing  term.  Cf.  AI.  IV.  ii.  3.  24:  "To 
see  thee  fight,  to  see  thee  foin  ;"  Much  Ado,  v.  i.  84 :  "I  '11  whip 
you  from  your  foining  fence,"  etc.     See  also  ii.  4.  193  below. 

22.    Vice.     Figuratively  =  grasp. 

24.  hifiiiitive.  Mrs.  Quickly 's  "  derangement  of  epitaphs  "  needs 
no  special  comment. 

26.  Saving  your  manhoods.  An  expression  used  also  by  Fluellen 
{Hen.   V.  iv.  8.  36)  and  =  saving  your  honour,  ox  your  reverence. 

28.  Lubber'' s-head.  That  is,  Libbard's-head.  For  libbard  (  = 
leopard),  cf.  L.  L.  L.  v,  2.  551 :  "With  libbard's  head  on  knee." 
Lumbert  =  Lombard. 

30.  Exion.  Elsewhere  (as  in  i  above)  we  find  action  in  the 
dame's  talk  ;  but,  as  Clarke  remarks,  this  is  in  accordance  with 
Shakespeare's  mode  of  indicating  these  peculiarities  of  diction. 

32.  A  long  one.  "  The  hostess  means  to  say  that  a  hundred 
mark  is  a  long  mark,  that  is,  score,  reckoning,  for  her  to  bear. 
The  use  of  mark  in  the  singular  number  in  familiar  language  (cf. 
pound  in  i.  2.  209  above)  admits  very  well  of  this  equivoque " 
(Douce). 

34.  Fubbed  off.  Put  off  with  false  excuses.  Fid)  is  the  same 
word  z'i  fob  —  delude,  trick,  which  some  substitute  here.  Cf.  Cor, 
i.  I.  97,  etc. 


i^o  Notes  [Act  II 

39.  I^Talmsey-vose.  Cf.  red-nose  in  I  Hen.  IV.  iv.  2.  51.  ATalm- 
sey  wine  is  mentioned  in  L.  L,  L.  v,  2.  233  and  Rich.  III.  i.  4.  161, 
277. 

47.  Channel.  Gutter;  as  in  3  i%«.  VI.  \\.  2.  141:  "As  if  a 
channel  should  be  call'd  the  sea." 

50.  Honeysuckle.  Homicidal ;  as  honey-seel  (and  hemp-seed 
just  below)  is  homicide.  Man-queller,  for  man-killer  or  man- 
slayer,  is  an  archaism  rather  than  a  blunder.  Achilles  calls  Hec- 
tor a  "boy-queller  "  in  T.  and  C.  v.  5.  45. 

57.  IVoo^t.  Wouldst ;  a  provincial  contraction.  Q.i.  Ham.s,  \, 
298:  "Woo't  weep?  woo't  fight?"  etc. 

59.  Away,  etc.  This  speech  is  given  to  "  Boy  "  in  the  quarto, 
and  to  "  Page  "  in  the  1st  and  2d  folios  ;  the  later  folios  assign  it  to 
Falstaff,  to  whom  it  probably  belongs. 

Ratnpallian  is  found  as  a  term  of  reproach  in  Beaumont  and 
Fletcher,  Greene,  and  other  writers  of  the  time.  Fustilarian, 
which  Schmidt  is  inclined  to  connect  with  fustian  and  Sleevens 
with  the  \j&.\.rn  fustis,  a  club,  is  more  probably  ixovn  fusty,  as  Malone 
and  Nares  give  it.  Fustilugs  was  a  contemptuous  appellation  for 
a  very  fat  person.  Ci.  funius,  1639:  "You  may  daily  see  such 
fustilugs  walking  in  the  streets,  like  so  many  tuns,  each  moving  on 
two  pottlepots." 

62.  Good  my  lord,  be  good  to  me.  The  same  expression  occurs 
in  M.  for  M.  iii.  2.  203.      Good  =  favourable,  propitious. 

64.     What  are,  etc.     Why  are,  etc.     See  on  ind.  20  above. 

76.     The  mare.     That  is,  the  nightmare. 

79.  Exclatnation.  Outcry  against  you.  Cf.  K.  fohn,  ii.  i.  558, 
Rich.  III.  iv.  4.  153,  etc. 

82.  Marry,  if  thou  wert,  etc.  Coleridge,  in  his  Essay  on  Method, 
has  given  this  speech  as  an  example  of  "  the  absence  of  method 
which  characterizes  the  uneducated,  occasioned  by  an  habitual 
submission  of  the  understanding  to  mere  events  and  images  as 
such,  and  independent  of  any  power  in  the  mind  to  classify  or 
appropriate   them.     The   general   accompaniments   of    time    and 


Scene  I]  Notes  loi 

place  are  the  only  relations  which  persons  of  this  class  appear  to 
regard  in  their  statements." 

84.  Parcel-gilt.  Part-gilt,  or  gilt  on  the  embossed  portions. 
Steevens  quotes  from  the  books  of  the  Stationers'  Company,  in  the 
list  of  their  plate,  1560:  "Item,  nine  spoynes  of  silver,  whereof 
vii  gylte  and  ii  parcell-gylte."  The  same  records  contain  fifty 
instances  to  the  same  purpose.  Of  these  spoons  the  saint  or  other 
ornament  on  the  handle  was  the  only  part  gilt.  Holinshed,  de- 
scribing Wolsey's  plate,  says :  "  and  in  the  council-chamber  was 
all  white  and  parcel-gilt  plate."  Langham  says  of  a;  bride-cup 
that  it  was  "  foormed  of  a  sweet  sucket  barrel,  a  faire  turned  foot 
set  too  it,  all  seemly  besylvered  and  parcel-gilt." 

Dolphin-chainber.  On  the  custom  of  giving  names  to  particular 
rooms  in  taverns,  cf.  "  Half-moon  "  and  "  Pomgarnet  "  in  i  Hen. 
IV.  ii.  4.  30,  42. 

86.  Wheeson.  Whitsun.  The  folio  has  "  Whitson  ;  "  but  the 
corruption  is  characteristic,  like  "  Peesel "  for  Pistol  in  ii.  4.  126 
below. 

87.  Liking  his  father.  For  like  =  liken,  cf.  I  Heji.  VI.  iv.  6.  48: 
"  And  like  me  to  the  peasant  boys  of  France." 

90.  Keech.  The  word  meant  a  lump  of  fat  rolled  up  by  the 
butcher  for  the  chandler.  For  the  personal  application,  cf.  Hen. 
VIII.  i.  I.  55,  where  Woisey  is  so  designated. 

92.  Mess.  "  The  common  term  for  a  small  portion  of  any  thing 
belonging  to  the  kitchen"  (Steevens).  Cf.  0th.  iv.  i.  211:  "I 
will  chop  her  into  messes." 

119.  Current.    Genuine;   suggested  by  the  ^/^;//«^  in  1 18. 

120.  Sneap.  Snubbing,  reprimand;  the  only  instance  of  the 
noun  in  S.     For  the  verb,  cf.  \V.  T.  i.  2.  13  and  L.  L.  L.\.  i.  100. 

122.  Make  courtesy.  In  Shakespeare's  day  the  form  of  obeisance 
known  as  courtesy  or  curtsy  was  used  by  men  as  well  as  women. 
Cf.  R.  of  L.  1338:  "The  homely  villain  court'sies  to  her  low," 
etc. 

125.    I  do  desire  deliverance,  etc.     "  Falstaff  claimed  the  protec- 


192  Notes  [Act  II 

tion  legally  called  quia  profecturiis  {%z&  Co/ee  upon  Littleton,  130  a). 
This  is  one  of  the  many  examples  of  Shakespeare's  somewhat  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  legal  forms  and  phrases"  (Knight). 

128.  In  the  effect  of  your  reputation.  "  In  a  manner  suitable  to 
your  character"  (Johnson). 

141.  Glasses,  glasses,  etc.  Steevens  remarks:  "Mrs.  Quickly  is 
here  in  the  same  state  as  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  who,  not  having 
been  paid  for  the  diet,  etc.,  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  while  she  was 
in  his  custody,  in  1580,  writes  as  follows  to  Thomas  Bradewyn  :  'I 
wold  have  you  bye  me  glasses  to  (h-ink  in:  Send  me  word  what 
olde  plat  yeldes  the  ounce,  for  I  wyll  not  leve  me  a  cuppe  of  syl- 
vare  to  drink,  but  I  wyll  see  the  next  terme  my  creditors  payde.'  " 

142.  Drollery.  Apparently  =  a  humorous  painting.  In  Temp. 
iii.  3.  21,  it  may  have  the  same  sense,  or  =  a  puppet-show,  as  Nares 
explains  it. 

The  Prodigal.  Cf.  M.  IV.  iv.  5.  8:  "There  's  his  chamber  .  .  . 
't  is  painted  about  with  the  story  of  the  Prodigal,  fresh  and  new." 

143.  The  German  hunting.  "  Hunting  subjects  were  much  in 
favour  for  the  decoration  of  interiors  ;  and  the  chase  of  the  wild 
boar  in  Germany  would  naturally  form  a  spirited  scene"  (Clarke). 
Cf.  Cymd.  ii.  5.  16:  "Like  a  fuU-acorn'd  boar,  a  German  one." 
In  water-ivork  =  in  water-colours.  This  style  of  painting  was 
done  upon  the  walls  (see  Gentleman's  Magazine,  1833,  p.  393), 
like  the  modern  frescos,  and  must  not  be  confounded  with  the 
"  painted  cloth "  hangings,  which  were  done  in  oil. 

144.  Bed-hangings.  Falstaff  calls  them  so  in  contempt,  as  fitter 
to  make  curtains  than  to  hang  walls  (Johnson). 

146.  Humours.     Caprices  ;   as  in  ii.  3.  30  below, 

147.  Wash  thy  face.  Tiie  poor  dame  has  been  crying.  Draw 
=  withdraw  ;    as  in  3  Hen.  VI.  v.  i.  25,  etc.. 

152.  Nobles.  The  noble  was  a  gold  coin,  worth  6j.  8(/.  Cf. 
Rich.  II.  i.   I.  88,  Hen.  V.  ii.   i.    112,   119,  etc. 

184.  Being  you  are.  It  being  the  case  that  you  are,  since  you 
are.     Cf.  Much  Ado,  iv.  i.  251  :  "  Being  that  I  flow  in  grief,"  etc. 


Scene  II]  Notes  1 93 

191.  Tap  for  tap.  That  is,  tit  for  tat  ;  referring  to  his  retalia- 
tion of  the  Justice's  inattention  to  his  questions. 

193.  Lighten.  Enlighten;  as  in  Hen.  VIII.  ii.  3.  79:  "a  gem 
to  lighten  all  this  isle."  Vaughan  thinks  there  may  be  a  play  on 
lighten  ;  but  the  Chief-Justice  is  too  much  out  of  temper  for  a  pun 
here.     See  on  i.  2.  1S5  above. 

Scene  II.  —  i.  Before  God.  The  folio  substitutes  "Trust  me  ;  " 
as  it  omits  Faith  in  4  just  below. 

3.  Attached.  Seized.  Cf.  Temp.  iii.  3.  5 :  "  Who  am  myself 
attach'd  with  weariness." 

4.  Discolours  the  complexion,  etc.     That  is,  makes  me  blush. 

8.  Studied.  Studious,  inclined.  Cf.  A.  and  C.  ii.  6.  48 :  "  well 
studied  for  a  liberal  thanks,"  etc. 

9.  Belike.  As  it  seems,  very  likely;  as  in  M.  N.  D.  i.  i.  130, 
Ham.  iii.  2.  149,  305,  etc. 

20.  When  thou  kecpest  not  racket  there.  "Showing  that  racket- 
players  usually  played  in  their  shirt-sleeves ;  so  that  when  Master 
Poins's  stock  of  linen  was  worn  out,  he  could  not  frequent  the 
tennis-court,  because  he  could  not  take  off  his  coat  at  the  game  " 
(Clarke).  That  shirts  were  expensive  in  the  time  of  S.  is  evident 
from  I  Hen.  IV.  iii.  3.  82  fol. 

22.  Holland.  That  is,  Holland  linen  ;  with  a  play  on  the 
word.  Cf.  the  passage  in  I  Hen.  IV.  just  quoted.  The  remainder 
of  this  speech  is  omitted  in  the  folios. 

23.  Bawl  out.  That  is,  bawl  out  from.  Cf.  Cor.  v.  2.  41  : 
"when  you  have  pushed  out  your  gates  the  defender  of  them." 
The  reference  is  to  Poins's  children  wrapped  up  in  his  old  shirts. 

33.  Stand  the  push.  Stand  the  thrust.  Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  iii. 
2.66. 

35,  Marry.  The  quarto  spells  it  "  Mary,"  which  was  the  origin 
of  the  oath  ;   and  the  folio  changes  it  to  "  Why." 

42.    The  deviPs  book.     Alluding  to  the  old  belief  that  the  devil 
had  a  register  of  the  persons  who  were  subject  to  him. 
2  HENRY  IV —  13 


194  Notes  [Act  II 

43.    Persistency.     That  is,  in  evil.     S.  uses  the  word  nowhere  else. 

46.  Ostentation.  Outward  show.  Cf.  Much  Ado,  iv.  i.  207:  "a 
mourning  ostentation." 

54.  Accites.  Perhaps,  as  Schmidt  considers  it,  a  misprint  for 
"excites,"  which  the  3d  folio  substitutes.  Accite  (=  cite,  sum- 
mon) occurs  in  v.  2.  141  below;   also  in  T.  A.  i.  i.  27. 

56.  Lewd.  Referring  in  a  general  way  to  his  low  tastes  and 
associations,  not  =  licentious.  Cf.  T.  of  S.  iv.  3.  65,  Rich.  III. 
i.  3.  61,  etc. 

57.  Engraffed  to.  Attached  to,  intimate  with.  Cf.  enrooted  in 
iv.  I.  207  below.  For  graff  =  graft,  see  v.  3.  2  below,  and  cf. 
misgraffed'xw  M.  N.  D.'\.  I.  137. 

62.  A  proper  fellow  of  my  hands.  "  A  handsome  fellow  of  my 
size"  (Mason).  For  proper,  cf.  llehreivs,  xi.  23.  It  would  seem 
from  the  context  that  the  term  here  implied  something  of  con- 
tempt. Vaughan  remarks  :  "  Possibly  a  proper  man  of  his  hands 
was  a  phrase  often  made  use  of  to  introduce  qualifications  dis- 
creditable to  the  object  of  them;  as  in  Holinshed,  for  instance: 
'a  good  man  of  his  hands  (as  we  call  him),  but  perverse  of  mind, 
and  very  deceitful.'  " 

67.  Transformed  him  ape.  Elsewhere  in  S.  the  verb  is  followfed 
by  to  or  into. 

69.  Most  noble  Bardolph.  A  sportive  response.  Cf.  J/,  of  V. 
ii.  9.  86  and  Rich.  II.  v.  5.  67. 

73.  Red  lattice.  An  alehouse  window.  Cf.  M.  IV.  ii.  2.  28 : 
"  your  red-lattice  phrases  ;  "  that  is,  your  alehouse  talk.  In  a  note 
on  the  latter  passage  Steevens  quotes  llie  Miseries  of  Inforc'd 
Marriage,  1607:  " 't  is  treason  to  the  red  lattice,  enemy  to  the 
signpost."  Malone  cites  Braithwaite,  Strapado  for  the  Divell, 
1615:  "Monsieur  Bacchus,  master-gunner  of  tlie  pottle-pot  ord- 
nance, prime  founder  of  red  lattices  ;  "  and  Douce  adds,  from  the 
Blacke  Booke,  1604:  "watched  sometimes  ten  hours  together  in 
an  ale-house,  ever  and  anon  peeping  forth,  and  sampling  thy  nose 
with  the  red  Lattis." 


Scene  II]  Notes  195 

78.  Profited.  Become  proficient ;  that  is,  under  Falstaff 's  train- 
ing.    Cf.  Temp.  i.  2.  172:  — 

" and  here 
Have  I,  thy  schoolmaster,  made  thee  more  profit 
Than  other  princess  can." 

See  also  M.  W.  iv.  i.  15,  T.  of  S.  iv.  2.  6,  etc. 

80.  Althaa^s  dream.  S.  here  confounds  Althaea's  firebrand 
with  Hecuba's  (Johnson).  The  former  is  correctly  referred  to  in 
2  Hen.  VI.  i.  i.  234:  "As  did  the  fatal  brand  Althiea  burn'd." 
Clarke  believes  that  the  poet  intended  that  the  boy  should  blun- 
der ;  but  it  is  more  likely  that  he  was  forgetful  himself,  as  in 
sundry  other  mythological  allusions. 

88.  Cankers.  Canker-worms  ;  as  in  AT.  N.  D.  ii.  2.  3  :  "  Some 
to  kill  cankers  in  the  musk-rose  buds." 

96.  Alartletnas.  Martinmas,  or  the  feast  of  St.  Martin,  the  nth 
of  November.  It  was  considered  the  close  of  autumn,  and  the 
word  probably  has  here  the  same  significance  as  "  AU-hallown 
summer"  in  I  Hen.  IV.  i.  2.  178.  "But,"  as  Clarke  remarks, 
"  there  are  so  many  allusions  to  '  Martlemas  beef '  in  writers  of 
Shakespeare's  time  —  Martinmas  being  the  season  for  salting, 
smoking,  and  hanging  beef  as  winter  provision  —  that  it  is  very 
likely  Prince  Hal's  name  of  Martlemas  for  Sir  John  may  include 
this  meaning  also,  since  he  elsewhere  calls  him  '  my  sweet  beef^ 
(i  Hen.  IV.  iii.  3.  199)." 

loi.    This  wen.     "  This  swoln  excrescence  of  a  man  "  (Johnson). 

no.  Borrower'' s.  The  early  eds.  have  "  borrowed."  The  emen- 
dation is  due  to  Warburton,  who  remarks :  "  a  man  that  goes  to 
borrow  money  is  of  all  others  the  most  complaisant ;  his  cap  is 
always  at  hand."     Cf.  T.  of  A.  ii.  i.  18 :  — 

"  Importune  him  for  my  moneys;  be  not  ceas'd 
With  slight  denial,  nor  then  silenc'd  when  — 
'  Commend  me  to  your  master '  —  and  the  cap 
Plays  in  the  right  hand,  thus  —  but  tell  him 
My  uses  cry  to  me,"  etc. 


196 


Notes  [Act  II 


118.  Romajis.  Some  suppose  the  reference  to  be  to  Marcus 
Brutus,    and    others  have  thought  that    Julius  Qx^sar  is  meant. 

131.  Twenty.  Warburton  sagely  asks:  "Why  just  twenty, 
when  the  letter  contained  above  eight  times  twenty?"  This  is 
as  good  in  its  way  as  Judge  Holmes's  putting  the  use  of  tiucnty 
as  an  "  expletive "  among  his  "  parallelisms "  of  expression  in 
Bacon   and    Shakespeare. 

Steevens  says :  "  Robert  Green,  the  pamphleteer,  indeed,  obliged 
an  apparitor  to  eat  his  citation,  wax  and  all.  In  the  play  of  Sir 
John  Oldcastle,  the  Sumner  is  compelled  to  do  the  like,  and  says 
on  the  occasion,  'I'll  eat  my  word.'  Harpoole  replies,  'I  meane 
you  shall  eate  more  than  your  own  word,  I'll  make  you  eate  all  the 
words  in  the  processe.'  " 

141.  Frank.  Sty;  used  by  S.  only  here,  but  the  verb  (=  to 
shut  up  in  a  sty)  occurs  in  Rick.  III.  i.  3.  314  and  iv.  5,  3. 

144.  Ephesians.  Jolly  companions  ;  a  cant  term  of  that  day, 
like  Corinthian  in  i  Hen.  IV.  ii.  4.  13.  Cf.  M.  IV.  iv.  5.  19:  "it 
is  thine  host,  thine  Ephesian,  calls." 

159.  Bestow.  Deport,  behave.  Cf.  A.  Y.  L.  iv.  3.  87,  K.John, 
iii.  I.  225,  etc. 

161.  Leathern  jerkins.  Commonly  worn  by  vintners.  Cf.  i 
Hen.  IV.   ii.  4.  77. 

163.  Declension.  Decline,  degradation.  Cf.  Rich.  III.  iii.  7. 
189  and  Ham.  ii.  4.  149. 

Scene  III.  —  11.  Endeared.  Bound;  as  in  T.  oj  A.  i.  2.  233 
and  iii.  2.  36. 

17.  For.  As  for,  as  regards;  especially  common  at  the  begin- 
ning of  a  sentence.  Cf.  Ham.  i.  2.  112,  i.  5.  139,  etc.  77^1?  God 
of  heaven  is  changed  in  the  folio  to  "  may  heavenly  glory." 

21.  The  glass,  etc.  Cf.  Ham.  iii.  i.  161  :  "The  glass  of  fashion 
and  the  mould  of  form  ;  "  Hen.  V.  ii.  chor.  6 :  "  the  mirror  of  all 
Christian  kings,"  etc. 

23-45.   He  had .  .  .  grave.     Omitted  in  the  quarto. 


Scene  III]  Notes  loy 

24.  Speaking  thick.  Speaking  fast.  Tardily  in  26  is  evidently 
antithetical  to  it.  Cf.  Cyinb.  iii.  2.  58 :  "  say,  and  speak  thick  ;  " 
and  R.  of  L.  1784  :  — 

"Weak  words,  so  thick  come  in  his  poor  heart's  aid 
That  no  man  could  distinguish  what  he  said." 

25.  Became  the  accents  of  the  valiant.  Came  to  be  the  utterance 
of  all  brave  men.  The  plural  accents  is  after  the  manner  of  S. 
when  referring  to  more  than  one  person.  Cf.  55  just  below,  also 
iv.  I.  193.      Valiant  is  here  a  trisyllable.     See  on  ind.  26  above. 

30.  Humours  of  blood.  Caprices  of  disposition.  See  on  ii.  i. 
146  above,  and  cf.  iv.  4.  38  below. 

31.  Glass,  copy  and  book.  See  on  21  above,  and  cf.  also  R.  of  L. 
615:- 

"  For  princes  are  the  glass,  tlie  school,  the  book. 
Where  subjects'  eyes  do  learn,  do  read,  do  look." 

36.    Abide.     Meet  the  perils  of. 

38.  Defensible.  Not  capable  of  defence, hvii  furnishittg  the  means 
of  defence  (Malone). 

45.    Beshreio.     A  mild  form  of  imprecation  ;    as  often. 

47.  Ancient.  Former,  bygone.  Cf.  T.  of  S.  ind.  2.  33 :  "  thy 
ancient  thoughts  ;  "   Cor.  iv.  i.  3:  "your  ancient  courage,"  etc. 

52.    Puissance.     A  dissyllable  here.     See  on  i.  3.  9  above. 

57.    So  suffered.     Allowed  thus  to  try  his  single  strength. 

59.  Remembrance.  Clarke  (following  Warburton)  believes  that 
the  metaphor  of  a  plant  was  suggested  by  "  rosemary,  which,  as  a 
symbol  of  remembrance,  was  used  at  marriages  and  funerals."  Cf. 
Ham.  iv.  5.  175  :   "  rosemary,  that's  for  remembrance." 

61.  For  recordation  to.  In  memory  of.  Cf.  T.  and  C.  v.  2. 
116:  — 

"  To  make  a  recordation  to  my  soul 
Of  every  syllable  that  here  was  spoke ;  " 

that  is,  to  recall  to  mind  every  syllable,  etc. 

64.    Still-stand.    Standstill;  the  only  instance  of  either  word  in  S. 


198  Notes  [Act  II 

Scene  IV.  —  l.  The  devil.  Omitted  in  the  folio,  like  Mass  just 
below.     See  on  ii.  2.  I  and  ii.  3.  17  above. 

2.  Apple-Johns.  A  kind  of  apple,  which  kept  two  years,  but  be- 
came wrinkled  and  shrivelled.  See  i  Hen.  IV.  iii.  3.  5:  "  withered 
like  an  old  apple-john."  The  French  called  it  denx-ans.  Steevens 
quotes  Cogan,  Haven  of  Health,  1595:  "The  best  apples  that  we 
have  in  England  are  pepins,  deusants,  costards,  darlings,  and  such 
other  ;  "  and  Hakluyt,  Voyages  :  "  the  apple  John  that  durcth  two 
yeares." 

10.  Cover.  Lay  the  table  ;  as  in  M.  of  V.  iii.  5.  57  and  A.  V.  L. 
ii.  5.  32. 

11.  Noise.  Band  of  musicians  ;  the  only  instance  of  this  sense 
in  S.  The  word  is  often  applied  to  music,  as  in  Temp.  iii.  2.  144, 
Macb.  iv.  i.  106,  etc. 

12.  Some  music.  The  speech  ends  here  in  the  folio.  The 
quarto  adds  "Dispatch:  the  room  where  they  supped  is  too  hot; 
they  '11  come  in  straight."  Clarke  remarks:  "This  shows  that  the 
apple-johns  and  the  prepared  table  were  for  what  was  called  an 
after-supper,  a  repast  of  fruit  and  wine,  like  the  modern  dessert, 
and  which  was  frequently  taken  in  a  different  room  from  that  in 
which  the  more  substantial  meal  was  eaten."  Kere-supper  (or 
rear-supper')  and  rere-banquet  were  also  =  dessert. 

1 7.  Old  utis.  Great  fun,  rare  sport.  For  old  as  an  intensive, 
cf.  M.  of  V.  iv.  2.  15,  Much  Ado,  v.  2.  98,  Macb.  ii.  3.  2,  etc.  Cf. 
the  modern  slang  phrase,  "  a  high  old  time."  Utis  —  merriment ; 
from  the  Yx.  huit  as  applied  to  the  octave  of  a  festival,  or  the  eighth 
day  after  it. 

25.  Canaries.  That  is,  Canary  wine  ;  mentioned  also  in  M.  W. 
iii.  2.  89  and  T.  N.  i.  3.  85,  88.  What  Mrs.  Quickly  means  by 
canaries  in  M.  W.  ii.  2.  61  is  not  so  clear.-  Quandary  has  been 
suggested,  but  S.  does  not  use  the  word. 

31.  When  Arthur  first  in  court.  The  ballad  may  be  found  in 
Percy's  Reliques.     The  lines  there  are 

"  When  Arthur  first  in  court  began, 
And  was  approved  king." 


Scene  IV]  Notes 


99 


34.  Calm.  Qualm ;  though,  as  White  remarks,  the  two  words 
were  pronounced  alike  in  the  time  of  S. 

35.  Sect.  If  Mrs.  Quickly  had  used  the  word,  we  should  have  no 
doubt  that  she  meant  sex ;  but  in  Falstaff's  mouth  it  may  be  = 
class.  iSteevens  gives  sundry  examples  of  sect  =  sex  ;  as  Marston, 
Insatiate  Countess:  "Deceives  our  sect  of  fame  and  chastity;" 
Beaumont  and  Fletcher,  Valentinian  :  "The  purest  temple  of  her 
sect,"  etc.  On  the  other  hand,  in  Mother  Bombie,  1594,  a  courtesan 
says,  "  I  am  none  of  that  sect  ;  "  which  is  followed  by  the  rejoinder, 
"Thy  loving  sect  is  an  ancient  sect,  and  an  honourable,"  etc. 
Douce  remarks :  "  P'alstaff  means  to  say  that  all  courtesans,  when 
their  trade  is  at  a  stand,  are  apt  to  be  sick." 

37.  Rascal.  The  word  rascal  literally  meant  a  deer  in  poor 
condition  ;  as  in  A.  V.  L.  iii.  3.  58,  etc.  "  He  tells  her  she  calls  him 
wrong;  being  ya/  he  cannot  be  a  rascal"  (Johnson).  For  the 
quibble,  cf.  v.  4.  27  below. 

44.  Rheiwiatic.  Perhaps  for  "splenetic,"  as  has  been  suggested. 
Rheum  and  spleen  were  sometimes  confounded ;  as  in  Jonson, 
Every  Man  in  his  J/n/itour,  where  Cob  says,  "  Nay,  I  have  my 
rheum,  and  can  be  angry  as  well  as  another  ;  "  to  which  Cash 
replies,  "Thy  rheum.  Cob !  thy  humour,  thy  humour;  thou  mis- 
tak'st."  "  The  mutual  asperities  of  tivo  dry  toasts  when  brought  in 
contact  with  each  other  are  sufficiently  obvious  to  render  Quickly's 
simile  less  ridiculous  than  is  her  general  style  of  diction  "  (Clarke). 

45.  The  good-year.  A  petty  imprecation,  of  doubtful  origin. 
Cf.  156  below.  Much  Ado,  i.  3.  I,  etc. 

51.  Ancient.  Ensign;  as  often  in  C/Zi.  and  elsewhere.  "  Fal- 
staff  was  captain,  Peto  lieutenant,  and  Pistol  ensign,  or  ancient^' 
(Johnson). 

54.  It  is.  Contemptuous.  Cf.  iii.  2.  269  below.  See  also 
Hen.  V.  iii.  6.  70,  R.  and  J.  iv.  2.  14,  etc.  Elsewhere  it  expresses 
affectionate  familiarity;  as  in  Macb.  i.  4.  58:  "it  is  a  peerless 
kinsman,"  etc. 

58.    Swaggerers.    Bullies.      Ritson   quotes   Cooke,  Greeners    Tu 


200  Notes  [Act  II 

Qupque :  "  drinke  with  a  drunkard,  be  ciuill  with  a  citizen,  fight  a 
swaggerer,"  etc.      See  also  ./.   F.  Z.  iv.  3.  14:  "  play  the  swaggerer." 

66.  Tilly-fally.  Tilly-vally ;  a  contemptuous  exclamation.  Cf. 
T.  N.  ii.  3.  83  ;   the  only  other  instance  in  S. 

80.  A  tame  cheater.  A  cant  phrase  =  a  petty  rogue,  a  low 
gamester.  Cf.  Beaumont  and  Fletcher,  Fair  Maid  of  the  Inn  : 
"  By  this  decoy-duck,  this  tame  cheater."  Mrs.  ()uickly  takes  it  to 
mean  esclieator  (vulgarly  called  cheate?-^  or  officer  of  the  exchequer. 

82.  A  Barbary  hen.  A  fowl  whose  feathers  are  naturally 
ruffled.  In  A.  Y.  L.  \\.  i.  151  we  find  mention  of  "a  Barbary 
cock-pigeon." 

104.  Companion.  Used  contemptuously,  z.%  fellow  is  now.  Cf. 
J.  C.  iv.  3.  138:   "Companion,  hence!" 

109.  Bung.  A  cant  name  for  a  sharper,  or  pickpocket.  Nares 
quotes  An  Age  for  Apes,  1655  :  — 

"  My  bung  observing  this,  takes  hold  of  time, 
Just  as  this  lord  was  drawing  for  a  prime. 
And  smoothly  nims  his  purse  that  lay  beside  him." 

The  word  was  also  applied,  in  the  thieves'  dialect,  to  a  pocket  or 
purse.     To  nip  a  bung  was  to  cut  a  purse. 

III.  Cuttle.  A  slang  term  for  the  knife  used  by  cut -purses  ; 
hence  for  such  characters  themselves.  Basket-hilt  stale  juggler  = 
worn-out  performer  of  sword-tricks. 

113.  Since  xuhen,  etc.  A  scoffing  inquiry.  Cf.  I  Hen.  IV.  ii. 
I.  43 :   «  Ay,  when  ?     Canst  tell  ?  " 

114.  Two  points.  "Asa  mark  of  his  commission"  (Johnson). 
See  on  i.  i.  53  above.  The  folio,  as  usual,  omits  the  oath  in  this 
and  the  next  speech.     See  on  i  above. 

127.  Mouldy  stewed  prunes,  etc.  "  StewecTprunes,  when  mouldy, 
were  perhaps  formerly  sold  at  a  cheap  rate,  as  stale  pies  and  cakes 
are  at  present"  (Steevens).  Stewed  prunes  wt^xe  a  common  article 
of  food  in  brothels. 

128.  IVill  make  the  word  captain  odious.    The  folio  reading; 


Scene  IV]  Notes  20I 

the  quarto  has :  "  will  make  the  word  as  odious  as  the  word  occupy, 
which  was  an  excellent  good  word  before  it  was  ill  sorted  ;  there- 
fore captains  had  need  look  to  it."  Occtipy  had  come  to  have  an 
indecent  sense  in  the  time  of  S.  Jonson  in  his  Discoveries  says : 
"  Many  out  of  their  own  oliscene  apprehensions  refuse  proper  and 
fit  words,  as  occupy,  nature,  and  the  like." 

138.  Faitors.  The  word,  according  to  Minsheu's  Diet.,  is  a  cor- 
ruption of  the  Yx.  faiseurs  —  factores,  doers;  and  it  is  used  in  a 
statute  of  the  time  of  Richard  II.  for  evil-doers.  Spenser  uses  it  in 
the  sense  of  traitor,  villain  ;   as  in  F.  Q.  i.  4.  47 :  — 

"  By  this  false  faytor,  who  unworthie  ware 
His  worthie  shield ;  " 

and  Id.  iv.  I.  44:  "False  faitour,  Scudamour,"  etc. 

Have  we  not  Hiren  here?  A  lost  play  by  George  Peele  was 
entitled  The  Turkish  Mahomet  and  Hyren  the  Fair  Greek,  from 
which  this  is  probably  a  quotation.  Steevens  quotes  the  old 
comedy  oi  Law  Tricks,  1608:  — 

"  What  ominous  news  can  Polymetes  daunt  ? 
Have  we  not  Hiren  here  ?  " 

Massinger's  Old  Law :  — 

"  Clown.   No  dancing  for  me,  we  have  Siren  here. 
Cook.  Siren  !  't  was  Hiren,  the  fair  Greek,  man ;  " 

and  Dekker,  Satiromastix :  "whilst  we  have  Hiren  here,  speak, 
my  little  dish-washers."  Hiren  is  a  corruption  of  Irene.  Pistol 
applies  it  to  his  sword,  but  Mrs.  Quickly  supposes  him  to  be  inquir- 
ing for  some  woman. 

141.  Beseek.  Intended  as  a  blunder  for  beseech,  though  it  is  really 
an  old  form  and  pronunciation  of  that  word.  Cf.  Chaucer,  C.  T. 
918:  "  But  we  biseken  mercy." 

143.   And  hollozv,  e.ic.     Pistol's  misquotation  of  Marlowe's  T'.a:;;;- 

burlaine,  2d  Part,  iv.  4 :  — 

"  Holla,  ye  pamper'd  jades  of  Asia! 
What !  can  ye  draw  but  twenty  miles  a  day  ?  " 


202  Notes  [Act  II 

145.    Cannibals.     For  Hannibah. 

147.  Let  the  welkin  roai:  Steevens  finds  the  expression  in  two 
ballads  of  the  time. 

148.  Toys.     Trifles.     Cf.  M.  N.  D.  v.  i.  3,  Ham.  iv.  5.  18,  etc. 
158.    Then  feed,  etc.     A  burlesque   of    'J'he   Battle  of  Alcazar, 

1594,  in  which  Muley  Mahomet  enters  to  his  wife  with  lion's  flesh 
on  his  sword,  and  says :  "  Feed  then,  and  faint  not,  my  faire  Cali- 
polis  ;  "  and  again,  "  Hold  thee,  Calipolis ;  feed,  and  faint  no 
more  ;  "  and  again  :  "  I-'eed  and  be  fat,  that  we  may  meet  the  foe," 
etc.  (Steevens). 

160.  Si  fortune,  etc.  As  printed  in  both  quarto  and  folio, 
except  that  the  latter  has  "  contente."  P"armer  remarks  :  "  Pistol 
is  only  a  copy  of  Hannibal  Gonsaga,  who  vaunted  on  yielding  him- 
self a  prisoner,  as  you  may  read  in  an  old  collection  of  tales,  called 
Wits,  Fits,  and  Fancies  :  — 

'  Si  fortuna  me  tormenta, 
II  speranza  me  contenta.'  " 

Correct  Italian  would  read  "  Se  "  for  "  Si  "  and  "  La  "  for  «  II  " 
(j/^r(?«sa:  being  feminine).  The  meaning  of  the  couplet  is,  "If 
fortune  torments  me,  hope  contents  me."  Douce  gives  an  illus- 
tration of  a  sword  with  a  French  version  of  the  motto,  "  Si  fortune 
me  tourmente,  I'esperance  me  contente." 

163.  Come  we  to  full  points,  etc.  "That  is,  shall  we  stop  here, 
shall  we  have  no  further  entertainment  ?"  (Johnson).  There  is  a 
play  on  points,  as  in  7'.  N.  i.  5.  25  and  i  Hen.  IV.  ii.  4.  238. 

165.  Neif.  Fist  ;  also  spelt  neaf  Cf.  M.  N.  D.  iv.  i.  20  (Bot- 
tom's speech)  :  "  Give  me  thy  neif." 

166.  The  seven  stars.  The  Pleiades.  Cf.  Hen.  IV.  i.  2.  16  and 
Lear,  i.  5.  38. 

168.  Fustian.  Nonsensical ;  used  again  as  an  adjective  in  T.  N. 
ii.  5.  1 19 :  "A  fustian  riddle  !  " 

169.  Galloway  nags.  "That  is,  common  hackneys  "  (Johnson). 
The  Galloway  horses  were  a  small  and  inferior  breed. 


Scene  IV]  Notes  203 

171.  Quoit  him.  Pitch  him;  the  only  instance  of  the  verb  in 
S.,  as  222  below  is  the  only  one  of  the  noun.  Shove-groat  was  a 
game  similar  to  shovel-hoard,  but  on  a  smaller  scale.  It  was  played 
on  a  board  or  table,  three  or  four  feet  long  and  about  a  foot  wide, 
with  a  diagram  on  one  end  divided  into  nine  partitions  marked 
with  the  nine  digits.  The  coin  (at  first  the  silver  ^r<7a/,  afterwards 
the  shilling)  was  shoved  or  slid  from  the  other  end  of  the  board, 
the  aim  being  to  land  it  in  one  of  the  numbered  spaces.  Cf. 
Jonson,  Every  Man  in  his  Humour,  iii.  5  :  "  run  as  smooth  off  the 
tongue  as  a  shove-groat  shilling  ;  "  and  The  Roaring  Girl:  "and 
away  slid  my  man,  like  a  shovel-board  shilling."  See  also  M.  W. 
i.  I.  159:  "and  two  Edward  shovel-boards,  that  cost  me  two 
shillings  and  twopence  apiece."  Taylor  the  Water  Poet  calls  the 
game  shove-board,  and  in  a  note  he  says  that  Edward  \T.  shillings 
were  then  generally  used  in  playing  it.  He  makes  one  of  these 
coins  say :  — 

"  You  see  my  face  is  beardlesse,  smooth,  and  plaine, 
Because  my  soveraigne  was  a  child  't  is  knowne, 
When  as  he  did  put  on  the  English  crowne ; 
But  had  my  stamp  beene  bearded,  as  with  haire, 
Long  before  this  it  had  beene  worne  out  bare ; 
For  why,  with  me  the  unthrifts  every  day, 
With  my  face  downward,  do  at  shove-board  play." 

175.  Imbrue.  Thisbe  also  uses  the  word  in  M.  N.  D.  v.  i.  351 : 
"  Come,  blade,  my  breast  imbrue." 

176.  Then  death,  etc.  Steevens  says  that  this  is  a  fragment  of 
a  song  supposed  to  have  been  written  by  Anne  Boleyn  :  — 

"  O  death  rock  me  on  slepe, 

Bring  me  on  quiet  rest,"  etc. 

Reed  adds,  from  Arnold  Cosine's  Ultimum  Vale  to  the  Vaine 
World,  an  elegie  written  by  himselfe  in  the  Marshalsea,  after  his 
condemnation,  for  murthering  Lord  Brooke,  1 591  :  — 


204  Notes  [Act  II 

"  O  death,  rock  me  asleepe !  Father  of  heaven, 
That  hast  sole  power  to  pardon  sinnes  of  men. 
Forgive  the  faults  and  follies  of  my  youth." 

178.  Airopos.  The  Sisters  Three  are  apostrophized  by  Thisbe 
in  M.  N.  D.\.  I.  343 ;  and  in  the  same  speech  she  alludes  to  the 
"  shears  "  of  Atropos,  but  the  name  of  the  goddess  occurs  in  S. 
only  in  the  present  passage. 

179.  Toward.  At  hand,  in  preparation.  Cf.  M.  N.  D.  iii.  i.  81 : 
"  What !  a  play  toward  ?  " 

184.  Tirrits.  Mrs.  Quickly 's  own  word,  and  "  probably  = 
terrors''''   (Schmidt). 

190.  Shreivd.  Evil,  mischievous;  the  original  sense.  Cf« 
A.  V.  L.  \.  4.  179:  "shrewd  days,"  etc. 

197.  Chops.  Poins  applies  the  same  epithet  to  Falstaff  in 
I  Hen.  IV.  i.  2.  151  :  "You  will,  chops?" 

200.  The  Nine  Worthies.  These  were  commonly  said  to  be 
three  Gentiles:  Hector,  Alexander,  Julius  Ccesar ;  three  Jews: 
Joshua,  David,  Judas  Maccabaeus  ;  and  three  Christians  :  Arthur, 
Charlemagne,  Godfrey  of  Bouillon.  In  L.  L.  L.v.  I.  125  fol.  and 
v.  2.  486  fol.  Pompey  and  Hercules  are  reckoned  among  the  nine. 

205.  Quicksilver.  Used  as  a  simile  for  swiftness  in  the  only 
other  instance  of  the  word  in  S.,  Ham.  i.  5.  66 :  "  swift  as  quick- 
silver." 

207.  Tidy.  The  word  occurs  nowhere  else  in  S.,  and  its  mean- 
ing here  is  disputed.  It  means  fat  in  a  passage  from  an  old  trans- 
lation of  Galateo  on  Manners  and  Behaviour,  1578,  cited  by  Reed; 
and  Gawin  Douglas  uses  it  in  the  same  sense  in  his  Virgil.  It  was 
sometime?  =  nimble,  agile,  and  Malone  believes  that  to  be  the 
meaning  here. 

Roast /?^  was  one  of  the  attractions  of  Baj'tholomeiv  Fair.  "  A 
more  appropriate  image  for  representing  the  appearance  of  the 
rotund  Falstaff,  hot,  glistening,  reeking,  from  his  encounter  with 
the  pestiferous  Pistol,  could  hardly  be  devised  "  (Clarke). 

208.  Foining.     Thrusting.     See  on  ii.  I.  16  above. 


Scene  IV]  Notes  205 

214.  Pantler.  The  servant  who  had  charge  of  the  pantry.  Cf. 
W.  T.  iv.  4.  56 :  "  This  clay  she  was  both  pantler,  butler,  cook,"  etc. 

218.  Tewkshiiry  mustard.  Tewksbury  (or  Tewkesbury),  in  the 
county  of  Gloucester,  was  formerly  noted  for  mustard. 

222.  Conger.  A  kind  of  eel.  Y or  fennel,  cf.  Ham.  iv.  5.  180. 
"  The  fennel  was  perhaps  used  as  a  dressing  for  the  conger,  as 
parsley  is  now  for  other  fish"  (White).  Beisly  says  it  was  used 
"  with  fish  hard  of  digestion."  Why  the  dish  is  mentioned  has  not 
been  satisfactorily  explained. 

223.  Flap-dragons.  '' K  flap-dragon  is  some  small  combustible 
body,  fired  at  one  end,  and  put  afloat  in  a  glass  of  liquor.  It  is  an 
act  of  a  toper's  dexterity  to  toss  off  the  glass  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
prevent  ihe flap-dragon  from  doing  mischief"  (Johnson).  Rides 
the  wild  wrt;-f  =  plays  at  see-saw  (Schmidt).  Joined-stools,  or 
joint-stools,  were  a  kind  of  folding-chair.  Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  ii.  4.  418 
and  R.  and  J.  i.  5.  7. 

226.  Sign.     That  is,  a  sign  over  the  shop-door  of  a  boot-maker. 

227.  Breeds  no  bate,  etc.  "  Creates  no  disturbance  by  telling 
decent  stories  ;  the  inference  being  that,  in  the  company  frequented 
by  the  Prince  and  Poins,  indecent  stories  would  be  preferred,  and 
decent  ones  resented  as  inappropriate  "  (Clarke).  For  bate  (=  con- 
tention), cf.  the  Countess  of  Pembroke's  Antonins  :  — 

"  Shall  ever  civil  bate 
Gnaw  and  devour  our  taste  ?  " 

and  Mirror  for  Magistrates  :  "  She  set  my  brother  first  with  me  at 
bate."  The  word  occurs  elsewhere  in  S.  only  in  the  compounds 
bate-breeding  (in  V.  and  A.  6sS-  "this  bate-breeding  spy")  and 
breed-bate  (in  M.  IV.  i.  4.'  12  :  "  no  tell-tale  nor  breed-bate  ").  Cf 
make-bate  in  Tlie  Countess  of  Pejnbroke's  Arcadia  :  "  So  that  love 
in  her  passions,  like  a  right  make-bate,  whispered  to  both  sides 
arguments  of  quarrel." 

233.  Nave  of  a  wheel.  Alluding  to  "  Sir  John's  combined 
knavery  and  rotundity." 


2o6  Notes  [Act  II 

239.  Saturn  and  Venus,  etc.  "  This  was,  indeed,  a  prodigy. 
The  astrologers,  says  Ficiiius,  remark  that  Saturn  and  Venus  are 
never  conjoined  "  (Johnson). 

241.  Fiery  Trigon.  A  trigon  is  a  triangle.  The  astrologers 
divided  the  zodiacal  signs  into  four  trigons  or  triplicities :  one 
consisting  of  the  three  fiery  signs  (Aries,  Leo,  and  Sagittarius)  ; 
the  others,  respectively,  of  three  airy,  three  watery,  and  three  earthy 
signs.  When  the  three  superior  planets  were  in  the  three  fiery 
signs  they  formed  a  Jiery  irigon ;  when  in  Cancer,  Scorpio,  and 
Pisces,  a  watery  one,  etc. 

242.  Lisping  to  his  master'' s  old  tables.  Making  love  to  his 
master's  old  mistress,  Steevens  says :  "  Bardolph  was  very  proli- 
ably  drunk,  and  might  lisp  a  little  in  his  courtship  ;  or  he  might 
assume  an  affected  softness  of  speech,  like  Chaucer's  Frere  :  — 

'  Somewhat  he  lisped  for  his  wantonnesse, 
To  make  his  English  swete  upon  his  tonge.' " 

Malone  remarks  that  lisping  is  "  saying  soft  things,"  and  compares 
M.  IF.  iii.  3.  77 :  "  Come,  I  cannot  cog  and  say  thou  art  this  and 
that,  like  a  many  of  these  lisping  hawthorn-lDuds,  tliat  come  like 
women  in  men's  apparel,  and  smell  like  Bucklersbury  in  simple 
time  ;   I  cannot,  l)ut  I  love  thee,"  etc. 

For  tad/es  =  table-book,  or  memorandum-book,  cf.  iv.  i.  201 
below,  and  Ham.  i.  5.   107. 

244.  Busses.  The  only  instance  of  the  noun  in  S.  For  the 
verb,  see  K.John,  iii.  4.  35,  T.  and  C.  iv.  5.  220,  etc. 

250.  Kirtle.  A  garment  concerning  which  the  commentators 
have  much  disputed.  See  nearly  two  pages  on  the  subject  in  the 
Variorum  of  1821.  It  seems  to  have  been  made  sometimes  like  a 
petticoat,  sometimes  like  an  apron,  sometimes  like  a  tunic,  some- 
times like  a  cloak.  Schmidt  defines  it  as  *"'  a  jacket,  with  a  petti- 
coat attached  to  it  ;"  and  the  half-kirtle  (see  v.  4.  18  below)  as 
either  the  jacket  or  the  petticoat  attached.  The  words  occur 
nowhere  else  in  S.  We  find  kirtle  in  P.  P.  363,  but  the  song  is 
Marlowe's,  not  Shakespeare's, 


Scene  IV]  Notes  207 

256.  Hearken  the  end.  The  meaning  seems  to  be  "  wait,  and 
judge  when  all  is  done."  Schmidt  is  doubtful  whether  it  means 
this  or  "listen  to  the  end  of  the  piece  of  music." 

258.  Anon,  anon,  sir.  The  usual  answer  of  the  drawers.  See 
I  Hen.  IV.  ii.  1.5  fol. 

260.  Poins  his  brother.  Ritsou  explains  this  as  =  Poins's  brother, 
and  the  editors  generally  adopt  the  interpretation.  It  may  be  the 
right  one,  but  perhaps  there  is  quite  as  humorous  a  sarcasm  in 
calling  Poins  the  Prince's  brother. 

261.  Continents.  Probably  used  as  carrying  out  the  metaphor 
in  globe. 

272.  By  this  light  flesh,  etc.  Rowe  added  here  the  stage  direc- 
tion, "  Leaning  his  hand  upon  Doll."     Light  =  wanton  ;    as  often. 

276.  Take  not  the  heat.  That  is,  strike  while  the  iron  is  hot. 
Cf.  Lear,  i.  1.  312:  "We  must  do  something,  and  i'  the  heat." 
Clarke  makes  the  expression  =  "  get  the  start  of  him,  get  ahead  of 
him." 

278.    Candle-mine.     Mine  or  magazine  of  tallow. 

284.     When  you  ran  away,  t'i.c.     See  i  //d-w. /F.  ii.  4.  295  fol. 

305.  To  close  ivith  us.  In  order  to  make  your  peace  with  us. 
Cf./.  C.  iii.  1.202:  — 

"  It  would  become  me  better  than  to  close 
In  terms  of  friendship  with  thine  enemies." 

See  also  IV.  T.  iv.  4.  830:  "Close  with   him    (make   terms  with 
him),  give  him  gold,"   etc. 

309.  Dead  elm.  Poins  calls  him  so  "  perhaps  on  account  of  the 
weak  support  which  he  had  given  to  Doll"  (Schmidt).  Cf.  the 
only  other  instances  of  elm  in  S. :  C.  of  E.  ii.  2.  176  and  AI.  N.  D. 
iv.  I.  49. 

310.  Pricked  down.  Marked  down.  Cf.  iii.  2.  Ill,  1 15,  I43» 
146,  etc.  below. 

312.   Malt-wortns.     Ale-topers.     Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  ii.  i.  83. 
317.   Burns,  poor  soul.     That  is,  with  disease.     The  early  eds. 
have  "  burns  poor  souls,"  which  some  eds.  retain. 


2o8  Notes  [Act  III 

323.  Contrary  io  the  law.  Several  statutes  of  the  time  of  Eliza- 
beth and  James  I.  forbade  victuallers  to  furnish  flesh  during  Lent. 

329.    //is  grace.     Falstaff  plays  upon  the  vi'ord^raci?. 

331.  .U  door.  A  contraction  still  in  provincial  use,  according  to 
Clarke.  Bardolph  also  uses  it  in  351  below;  but  Falstaff  (348) 
says  "at  the  door." 

342.  The  south.  The  south  wind,  always  represented  by  S.  as 
damp  and  disagreeable.  Cf.  A.Y.L.  iii.  5.  50:  "like  foggy  south," 
etc. 

343.  Borne.     Laden,  freighted. 

346.  Tlie  siveetest  morsel  of  the  night.  Cf.  v.  3.  49  below :  "now 
comes  in  the  sweet  o'  the  night." 

362.    PeascoJ-time.     The  time  of  year  when  peas  are  in  pod. 

But  an  honester  and truer-Jiearted  man,  — .  "  These  valedictory 
words  (printed  also  in  the  folio  with  a  dash,  to  indicate  a  broken 
speech,  as  if  unfinished  from  incapacity  to  express  all  she  feels  of 
admiration)  uttered  by  hostess  Quickly  after  nearly  thirty  years' 
experience  of  Sir  John's  honesty  and  truth,  serve  better  than  pages 
of  commentary  upon  his  powers  of  fascination  to  show  how  strong 
is  the  spell  he  exercises  upon  the  judgment  and  affections  of  those 
with  whom  he  associates"  (Clarke). 

369.  \^She  comes  blubbered.']  The  quarto  reads:  "come,  shee 
comes  blubberd,  yea?  wil  you  come  Doll?"  The  speech  in  the 
foHo  is  simply,  ''/lost.  Oh  runne  Dol,  runne:  runne,  good  Dot." 
Dyce  was  the  first  to  see  here  that  a  stage-direction  (as  not  un- 
frequently  happened)  had  got  into  the  text.  For  blubbered,  cf. 
R.  and  J.  iii.  3.  87  :  "Blubbering  and  weeping." 


ACT  III 


Scene  I.  —  The  whole  scene  is  omitted  in  some  copies  of  the 
quarto.     See  p.  10  above. 

2.    O^er-read.     Read  over,  peruse;  as  in  Sonn.  81.  10, y.  C.  iii. 


Scene  I]  NoteS  200 

I.  4,  and  Lear,  i.  2.  38.  So  over-read \ry  M.  for  M.  iv.  2.  212.  Cf. 
36  below. 

3.  Co7isider.  Often  followed  by  of,  as  here.  Cf.  Hen.  V.  ii.  4. 
113,  iii.  6.  133,/.  C.  iii.  2.  114,  Macb.  iii.  i.  75,  etc. 

17.  A  zvatch-case.  A  sentry-box.  Hanmer  says :  "This  alludes 
to  the  watchman  set  in  garrison-towns  on  some  eminence,  attend- 
ing upon  an  alarum-bell,  which  was  to  ring  out  in  case  of  fire  or 
any  approaching  danger."  Holt  White  makes  it  refer  to  an  alarm- 
watch  or  clock.  Lariiin  is  the  uniform  spelling  in  S.,  not  "  'larum," 
as  usually  given  in  modern  eds.  Alarum  also  occurs ;  as  in  Heit.  V. 
iv.  6.  35,  etc. 

19.  Ship-bo/ s.  The  word  is  found  also  in  K.John,  iv.  3.  4  and 
Hen.  V.  iii.  chor.  8.     Cf.  shipman  in  Alacb.  i.  3.  17,  etc. 

24.  The  clouds  seem  to  be  called  slippery  as  not  being  able  to 
retain  the  billows  thrown  up  to  them  (Steevens). 

25.  That.  So  that.  See  on  i.  i.  197  above.  For  hiirly  (=  tu- 
mult), cf.  K.John,  iii.  4.  169 :  "  I  see  this  hurly  all  on  foot,"  etc. 

28.  Most  stillest.  Double  comparatives  and  superlatives  are 
frequent  in  S.     Cf.  iv.  5.  201  below. 

30.  Then,  happy  low,  lie  doiun  I  The  quarto  reads :  "  then 
(happy)  low  lie  downe  ;"  the  folio:  "Then  happy  Lowe,  lye 
downe."  As  Steevens  remarks,  the  sense  seems  to  be :  "  You 
who  are  happy  in  your  humble  situations,  lay  down  your  heads 
to  rest !  the  head  that  wears  a  crown  lies  too  uneasy  to  expect 
such  a  blessing."     Various  alterations  have  been  proposed. 

T)^.  Is  it  good  morrow?  Is  it  morning?  The  salutation  was 
used  only  before  nocfn.  Cf.  R.  and  J.  i.  i,  166:  "Is  the  day  so 
young?" 

35.  All.  Again  applied  to  two  persons  in  2  Heti.  VI.  ii.  2.  26: 
"  as  all  you  know,"  etc. 

41.  It  is  but  as  a  body  yet  distemper'' d.  It  is  as  yet  only  a  body 
disordered,  or  out  of  health.     Transpositions  of  jt/ are  common. 

43.    Little.     That  is,  a  little,     Cf.  T.  A^.  v.  i .  1 74. 

50,  Ocean.  A  trisyllable  ;  as  in  T.  G.  of  V.  ii.  7.  32,  K.  John, 
2  HENRY   IV  —  14 


2IO 


Notes  [Act  III 


ii.  I.  340,  etc.     See  on  ind,  26  above.     On  the  passage,  cf.  Sonn. 
64.  5  :  "  When  I  have  seen  the  hungry  ocean  gain,"  etc. 

53-56.  O,  if  this  .  .  .  and  die.  Omitted  in  the  folios,  where 
the  imperfect  line  '7"  is  not  teti  years  gone  fills  out  53.  White 
remarks  of  the  lines:  "If  S.  ever  wrote  them,  I  believe  that  he 
omitted  them  because  of  their  weakness ;  but  I  more  than  doubt 
that  he  did  write  this  feelile  whine,  which  seems  all  the  feebler 
because  it  is  made  the  needless  sequent  of  the  manly  and  majestic 
aspiration  that  precedes  it.  .  .  .  It  is  a  square  block  of  puling 
commonplace  let  into  a  grand  and  vigorous  passage." 

64.  To  the  eyes.  To  the  face  ;  as  in  M.  for  M.  v.  i.  i6i  :  "  Her 
shall  you  hear  disproved  to  her  eyes."     Cf.  Id.  i.  i.  69. 

65.  But  which  of  you,  etc.  "He  refers  to  Rich.  II.  iv.  2  ;  but 
whether  the  king's  or  the  author's  memory  fails  him,  so  it  was, 
that  Warwick  was  not  present  at  that  conversation"  (Johnson). 

66.  Nevil.  As  Steevens  notes,  the  earldom  of  Warwick  was 
then  in  the  family  of  Beauchamp,  and  did  not  come  into  tliat  of 
the  Nevils  till  many  years  after,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of 
Henry  VI.,  when  it  descended  to  Anne  Beauchamp  (the  daughter 
of  the  earl  here  introduced),  who  was  married  to  Richard  Nevil, 
Earl  of  Salisbury. 

68.    Checked.     Reproved.     See  on  i.  2.  198  above. 

72.  Had  no  such  intent,  etc.  "  He  means  '  /  should  have  had 
no  such  intent,  but  that  necessity,'  etc.;  or  S.  has  here  forgotten 
his  former  play,  or  has  chosen  to  make  Henry  forget  his  situation 
at  the  time  mentioned.  He  had  then  actually  accepted  the  crown  " 
(Malone).  Cf.  Rich.  II.  iv.  I.  1 13:  "In  God's  name,  I  '11  ascend 
the  regal  throne." 

74.  To  kiss.  Cf.  A.  W.  i.  i.  238:  "To  join  like  likes,  and  kiss 
like  native  things." 

75.  Shall  come.  Changed  by  Johnson  to  "  will  come,"  to  corre- 
spond with  the  next  line.  Clarke  remarks :  "  The  present  forms  a 
notable  instance  of  that  purposed  variation  in  repeated  phrases  that 
S.  occasionally  gives  with  so  much  naturalness  of  effect.     Here  the 


Scene  II]  Notes  211 

variation  occurs  in  a  repeated  sentence  uttered  by  the  selfsame 
speaker,  and  one  following  immediately  upon  the  other  ;  but  in 
repeating  it  he  varies  one  word  of  it,  just  as  persons  do  in  actual 
life,  and  just  as  Shakespeare's  people  do." 

85.  Intreasured.     Laid  up.     Q,l.entreaszired'\\\Per.\\\.2.(i<^. 

86.  Hatch.  Cf.  Ham.  iii.  I.  174:  "the  hatch  and  the  disclose," 
etc. 

87.  This.  Used  in  a  general  way,  referring  to  "  this  history  of 
the  times  deceased  "  (Henley)  or  "the  instance  which  the  king  has 
been  recounting  of  Northumberland's  previous  conduct"  (Clarke). 

98.    Please  it.     May  it  please.     See  on  i.  i.  5  above. 
103.   htstance.     Proof.     Cf.  iv.  I.  83  below. 
105.    Unseasoii''d.     Unseasonable;   as  in  J/.  ?F.  ii.  2.  174:  "this 
unseasoned  intrusion."     Yox perforce,  see  on  i.  i.  165  above. 

Scene  II.  —  3.  Rood.  Cross,  crucifix.  Cf.  Rich.  III.  iii.  2.  77, 
iv.  4.  165,  etc. 

9.  Otisel.  Blackbird;  as  in  M.  N.  D.  iii.  i.  128:  "The  ousel 
cock  so  black  of  hue."  There  it  is  spelt  "woosel"  in  the  early 
eds.,  as  it  is  here  in  the  quarto.  "  Master  Silence  speaks  with 
mock-modest  disparagement  of  his  pretty  dark-haired  daughter  " 
(Clarke). 

15.  Cletnenfs  Inn.  One  of  the  "  Inns  of  Chancery,"  which  were 
subsidiary  to  the  "  Inns  of  Court."     See  on  31  below. 

16.  Alad.     Madcap,  merry;   as  in  32  below. 

22.  Cotstvold  man.  The  quarto  has  "  Cotsole  man,"  and  the  1st 
folio  "Cot-sal-man;  "  both  of  which  indicate  the  common  pronun- 
ciation of  the  word.  Cotswold  (open  downs  in  Gloucestershire)  was 
celebrated  in  the  poet's  time  for  athletic  sports  and  the  skill  of  the 
natives  therein.     Cf.  Rich.  II.  ii.  3.  9. 

23.  Swinge-bucklers.  Roisterers.  Swash-bucklers  was  used  in 
the  same  sense.  Steevens  quotes  Nash,  addressing  Gabriel  Harvey, 
1598:  "  Turpe  senex  miles,  't  is  time  for  such  an  olde  foole  to 
leave  playing  the  swash-buckler."     Qi.  swashers  in  lien.  V.  iii.  2.  30. 


212  Notes  [Act  III 

24.  Page  to  Thomas  Mowbray,  etc.  One  of  the  points  of  evi- 
dence that  Falstaff  was  originally  called  Oldcastle  in  i  and  2  Hen. 
IV.,  Sir  John  Oldcastle  having  actually  been  in  his  youth  page  to 
the  Duke  of  Norfolk. 

29.  Slogan's  head.  There  were  two  noted  persons  of  the  name, 
the  one  a  poet  and  the  other  a  jester,  and  there  has  been  much 
controversy  as  to  which  of  them  is  here  referred  to.  John  Sco- 
gan,  "  being  an  excellent  mimick,  and  of  great  pleasantry  in  con- 
versation, became  the  favourite  buffoon  of  the  court  of  King 
Edward  IV."  (Warton).  Henry  Scogan,  the  poet,  is  described 
by  Ben  Jonson,  in  The  Fortunate  Isles,  as 

"  a  fine  gentleman,  and  master  of  arts 
Of  Henry  the  Fourth's  times,  that  made  disguises 
For  the  king's  sons,  and  writ  in  ballad  royal 
Daintily  well." 

A  book  of  "  Scogin's  Jests  "  was  published  by  Andrew  Borde  in 
1565,  and  may  have  suggested  the  name  to  Shakespeare.  The 
subject  is  discussed  to  the  extent  of  nearly  three  pages  in  the 
Variorum  of  1 82 1. 

30.  Crack.     A  pert  boy.     Cf.  Cor.  i.  3.  74 :  — 

"  Valeria.    Indeed,  la,  't  is  a  noble  child. 
Virgilia.   A  crack,  madam." 

31.  Grafs  Intl.  One  of  the  four  great  "Inns  of  Court,"  which 
are  "  incorporations  for  the  study  of  law,  possessing  by  common 
law  the  exclusive  privilege  of  calling  to  the  bar."  In  the  Hall  of 
Gray's  Inn  (built  about  1560)  Shakespeare's  Comedy  of  Errors 
was  acted  in  1594. 

37.  Hoiv  a,  etc.  How  go  a,  or  how  sell  a,  etc.  Cf.  48  below, 
and  the  answer  to  the  question. 

45.  Clapped  V  the  clout.  Hit  the  white  mark  in  the  target.  Cf. 
Z.  L.  L.  iv.  I.  136:  "Indeed,  a'  must  shoot  nearer,  or  he  '11  ne'er 
hit  the  clout."     At  twelve  score  =  twelve  score  yards. 

46.  A  forehattd  shaft.     A  kind  of  shaft  referred  to  —  not  very 


Scene  II]  Notes  213 

clearly  —  by  Ascham,  in  his  Toxophihis,  z.%  follows:  "Agayne  the 
bygg-brested  shafte  is  fytte  for  hym  which  shoteth  right  afore  him, 
or  els  the  brest,  being  weke,  should  never  wythstande  that  strong 
piththy  kinde  of  shootynge;  thus  the  underhande  must  have  a 
small  breste,  to  go  cleane  awaye  out  of  the  bowe,  the  forehande 
must  have  a  bigge  breste,  to  bere  the  great  myghte  of  the  bowe." 

Fourteen  and  a  half.  That  is,  two  hundred  and  ninety  yards. 
Malone  remarks:  "The  utmost  distance  that  the  archers  of  ancient 
times  reached  is  supposed  to  have  been  about  three  hundred  yards. 
Old  Double  therefore  certainly  drew  a  good  bow."  To  hit  a  mark 
at  twelve  score  was,  however,  a  more  extraordinary  feat  than  merely 
sending  a  shaft  fourteen  and  a  half.  Instances  are  recorded  of 
shots  at  eighteen  score. 

49.  Thereafter  as  they  be.  According  as  they  turn  out.  The 
good  which  follows  is  emphatic.  The  price  mentioned  is  that  of  the 
poet's  time. 

60.  Tall.  Stout,  sturdy.  Cf.  A.  and  C.  ii.  6.  7:  "much  tall 
youth,"  etc. 

63.   Backsword  man.     "Fencer  at  single-sticks  "  (Schmidt). 

70.  Accommodated.  "This  was  one  of  the  words  that  were 
fashionably  affected  and  brought  in  upon  every  occasion  by  gal- 
lants in  Shakespeare's  time,  and  which  affectation  he  has  satirized. 
Its  favour  among  would-be  martial  men  is  indicated  by  Bardolph's 
affirming  it  to  be  a  soldier-like  word;  while  the  absurd  way  in 
which  it  was  hacked  and  introduced  upon  all  occasions,  pertinent 
or  not  pertinent,  and  without  the  slightest  idea  as  to  what  was  its 
real  meaning,  is  shly  shown  by  Bardolph's  floundering  in  his  at- 
tempted definition  of  the  word  "  (Clarke).  Cf.  Jonson,  Discoveries  : 
"  You  are  not  to  cast  or  wring  for  the  perfumed  terms  of  the  time, 
as  accommodation,  complement,  spirit,  &c.,  but  use  them  properly 
in  their  places  as  others."  He  ridicules  it  also  in  Every  Man  in 
his  Humour  (quoted  by  Steevens)  :  — 

"  Hostess,  accommodate  us  with  another  bedstaff.  — 
The  woman  does  not  understand  the  words  of  action." 


214  Notes  [Act  III 

86.  Surecard.  "  Surecard  wa.s  used  as  a  term  for  a  booti  cojii- 
panion  so  lately  as  the  latter  end  of  the  last  [iSth]  century" 
(Malone). 

III.  Prick  him.  Mark  him,  put  him  on  the  list.  See  on  ii. 
4.  310  above. 

121.  Ot/te}-.  Others;  as  in  T.  and  C.  i.  3.  91:  "Amidst  the 
other,"  etc.     See  also  quotation  from  Stowe  in  note  on  283  below. 

130.    Son.     There  is  a  play  on  the  word,  in  antithesis  to  shadow. 

132.  Much.  The  expression  is  ironical.  Cf.  A.  Y.  L.  iv.  3.  2: 
"  Is  it  not  past  two  o'clock?     And  here  much  Orlando  !  " 

135.  Shadows  to  fill  up,  Qic.  "That  is,  we  have  in  the  muster- 
book  many  names  for  which  we  receive  pay,  though  we  have  not 
the  men"  (Johnson).  Steevens  quotes  Barnabie  Riches  Sonldiers 
IVishe  to  Britons  Welfare,  1604  :  "  One  speciall  meane  that  a  shift- 
ing captaine  hath  to  deceive  his  prince,  is  in  his  number,  to  take 
pay  for  a  whole  company,  when  he  hath  not  halfe." 

151.    A  woman's  tailor.     Cf.  T.  of  S.  iv.  3.  61 :  — 

"Come,  tailor,  let  us  see  these  ornaments; 
Lay  forth  the  gown." 

See  the  whole  dialogue  that  follows.  Cf.  also  Clitus,  Character  of 
a  Zealous  Neighbotir :  "  Hee  buyes  his  wive's  gownes  ready  made, 
fearing  (belike)  some  false  measure  from  the  tayler." 

155.  Battle.  Battalion,  army.  Cf.  A',  yb/^;;,  iv.  2.  78  and  I  //<?«. 
IV.  iv.  I.  129. 

167.  Put  him  to.     Put  \vvm.for,  employ  him  as. 

168.  So  many  thousands.  "  In  several  instances  where  his  con- 
temporary playwrights  would  have  made  occasion  for  coarse  ex- 
pression, S.  has  managed  to  word  allusions  with  comparative 
decency  ;  as  witness  Falstaffs  hint  at  the  Swarming  condition  of 
Wart's  ragged  garments"  (Clarke).     Cf  also  Lear,  iii.  4.  164. 

187.  Take  such  order.  Take  such  measures,  give  such  orders  ; 
as  in  0th.  v.  2.  72,  etc. 

190.    Two  more.     "  Five  only  have  been  called,  and  the  number 


Scene  II]  Notes  215 

required  \sfour.  The  restoration  of  the  sixth  man  would  solve  the 
difficulty  that  occurs  below  ;  for  when  Mouldy  and  Bullcalf  are  set 
aside,  Falstaff  gets  but  three  recruits"  (Malone).  S.  was  careless 
in  these  little  matters.  ' 

196.    Since.     When.     Cf.  31.  N.  D.W.  i.  149:  — 

"  Thou  rememberest 
Since  once  I  sat  upon  a  promontory,"  etc. 

204.  Could  axvay  with  me.  Could  endure  me.  Reed  remarks 
that  the  expression  had  not  become  obsolete  even  in  the  time  of 
Locke.  Cf.  his  Conduct  of  the  Understanding :  "with  those  alone 
he  converses,  and  can  away  with  no  company  whose  discourse  goes 
beyond  what  claret  or  dissoluteness  inspires."  See  also  Isaiah, 
i.  13. 

210.  Cannot  choose  but  be.  Cannot  help  being.  Cf.  i  Hen.  IV. 
i.  3.  278,  V.  2.  45,  etc. 

214.  That  ''s  fifty-five  year  ago.  If  Falstaff  was  then  "  a  boy  and 
page  to  Thomas  Mowbray"  (see  24  above),  he  must  now  be  at 
least  seventy.  For  the  plural  year,  cf.  pound  in  i.  2.  228  above 
and  251  below,  and  mile  in  v.  5.  65  below. 

217.  Said  I  well?  Cf.  M.  IV.  i.  3.  11 :  "said  I  well,  bully 
Hector  ?  " 

222.  Hem,  boys!  Cf.  Much  Ado,  v.  i.  16:  "Bid  sorrow  wag, 
cry  hem,"  etc. 

225.  Corporate.     A  blunder  for  Corporal. 

226.  Harry  ten  shillings.  There  were  no  ten-shilling  coins 
until  the  time  of  Henry  VII.   (Douce). 

227.  Had  as  lief.     See  on  i.  2.  42  above. 

241.  Bear  a  base  niijid.  For  bear  a  7iiind=  have  a  disposition, 
cf.  V.  and  A.  202,  A',  of  I.  1148,  1540,  Temp.  ii.  I.  266,  T.  A'',  ii. 
I.  30,  etc. 

242.  So.  A  common  use  of  the  word  =  so  be  it.  Cf.  i  Hen.  IV. 
ii-  4-  545.  V.  3.  60,  64,  etc. 

244.    Quit.     Exempt  ;  as  in  Hen.  V.  iv.  i.  122,  etc. 


2 1 6  Notes  [Act  III 

250.  Three  pound.  Johnson  says  :  "  Here  seems  to  be  a  wrong 
computation.  He  had  forty  shillings  for  each.  Perhaps  he  meant 
to  conceal  part  of  the  profit."  Of  course  he  did.  The  amount 
paid  was  above  the  average  for  that  day.     See  i  Hen.  IV.  iv.  2.  13. 

266.  Theivs.     Muscle.     Cf. /.  C.  i.  3.  81  and  Ham.  i.  3.  12. 

267.  Assemblance.  That  is,  tout  ensemble.  S.  uses  the  word 
only  here. 

269.  Charge  you.  The  you  is  the  "  expletive "  pronoun.  Cf. 
Put  Die  in  278  below. 

271.  Swifter  than  he  that  gibbets  on  the  brewer's  bucket.  Refer- 
ring to  the  quick  motion  with  which  brewers'  men  sling  the  beer- 
bucket  on  each  end  of  the  gibbet  (or  yoke  across  the  shoulders)  in 
carrying  beer  from  the  vat  to  the  barrel. 

272.  Half-faced.  With  so  thin  and  sharp  a  figure  that  he  looks 
like  the  profile  of  a  man.  Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  i.  3.  208  :  "  half-fac'd 
fellowship." 

274.  foeman.  Steevens  says  :  "This  is  an  obsolete  term  for  an 
enemy  in  war."     It  is  in  common  use  in  our  day,  at  least  in  poetry. 

278.  Ca liver.  A  kind  of  musket.  Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  iv.  2.  21. 
Steevens  quotes  The  Masque  of  Flowers,  1613  :  "The  serjeant  of 
Kawasha  carried  on  his  shoulders  a  great  tobacco-pipe  as  big  as 
a  caliver."  He  adds:  "It  is  singular  that  S.,  who  has  so  often 
derived  his  sources  of  merriment  from  recent  customs  or  fashion- 
able follies,  should  not  once  have  mentioned  tobacco,  though  at  a 
time  when  all  his  contemporaries  were  active  in  its  praise  or  its 
condemnation."  Some  have  suspected  such  an  allusion  in  i  Hen. 
IV.  i.  3.  41  :  "  took  it  in  snuff ;  "  but  probably  perfumed  powder 
is  there  meant.  Judge  Hosmer,  author  of  a  "  Baconian  "  book, 
believes  that  the  iveed  in  Sonn.  76.  6  is  tobacco ! 

280.     Traverse.     March.    Cf.  0th.  i.  3.  378  :  "  traverse,  go,"  etc. 

283.  Chopt.  The  reading  of  the  early  eds.  for  which  the  modern 
ones  generally  substitute  "  chapt"  or  "chapped,"  which  means  the 
same.  Shot  is  used  for  shooter.  We  still  speak  of  "  a  good  shot," 
etc.     Cf.    Stowe's   Annates,    1631  :    "  men  with    armour,  .  .  .  the 


Scene  II]  Notes  217 

greater  part  whereof  were  shot,  and  other  were  pikes  and  halberts, 
in  faire  corslets." 

284.  Scab.  A  term  of  contempt,  here  used  with  quibbling  ref- 
erence to  Wart's  name.  Cf.  the  play  on  the  word  in  Much  Ado, 
iii.  3.  107  and  Cor.  i.  i.  169. 

285.  Tester.  Sixpence ;  as  in  M.  W.  i.  3.  96  :  "  Tester  I  '11 
have  in  pouch,"  etc.  Cf.  testril  in  T.  N.  ii.  3.  34.  We  find  the 
verb  iestern  (  =  give  a  tester)  in  T.  G.  of  V.  i.  i.  153. 

287.  Mile-End  Greenr  The  place  in  the  suburbs  of  London  for 
public  sports,  and  also  for  military  drill.  According  to  Stowe,  4000 
citizens  were  trained  and  exercised  there  in  1585.  In  Barnabie 
Riches  Soiddiers  Wishe  (see  on  135  above),  we  find  contemptuous 
mention  of  "  a  trayning  at  Mile-end  greene." 

28S.    Lay  —  resided.     Cf.  iv.  2.  97  below. 

Sir  Dagonet.  The  story  of  Sir  Dagonet  is  to  be  found  in  La 
Morte  d'Arthure,  where  he  is  the  king's  squire.  Arthur's  Show  was 
an  exhibition  of  archery  by  a  society  who  styled  themselves  "The 
Auncient  Order,  Society,  and  Unitie  laudable  of  Prince  Arthure 
and  his  Knightly  Armory  of  the  Round  Table."  The  members, 
fifty-eight  in  number,  took  the  names  of  the  knights  in  the  old 
romance,  and  their  usual  place  of  meeting  was  Mile-End  Green. 

289.  Quiver.  Nimble,  active  ;  used  by  S.  nowhere  else.  Hen- 
derson quotes  Bartholotneus,  1535:  "There  is  a  maner  fishe  that 
hyght  mugill,  which  is  full  quiver  and  swifte." 

292.  Bounce.  Bang.  Cf.  K.  John,  ii.  I.  462:  "He  speaks 
plain  cannon  fire,  and  smoke  and  bounce." 

306.  At  a  word.  In  a  word  (  =  briefly,  but  what  I  mean).  Cf. 
M.  W.  i.  3.  15  :  "I  am  at  a  word ;  follow"  (that  is,  I  am  not  of 
many  words). 

311.  Fetchoff.  "  Fleece, make  a  prey  of  "  (Schmidt).  In  IF.  T. 
i.  2.  334  it  is  =  make  away  with. 

315.  TiirnbiiU  Street.  A  corruption  of  Turnmill  Street,  a  dis- 
reputable quarter  in  London.  Steevens  quotes  Ram  Alley :  "  You 
swaggering,  cheating,  Turnbull-street  rogue  ;  "  and  Beaumont  and 


2 1 8  Notes  [Act  III 

Fletcher,  Scornful  Lady :  "  Here  has  been  such  a  hurry,  such  a 
din,  such  dismal  drinking,  swearing,  &c.,  we  have  all  lived  in  a  per- 
petual TurnbuU-street." 

322,  Invincible.  "  Not  to  be  evinced,  not  to  be  made  out,  inde- 
terminable "  (Schmidt).     Some  eds.  change  it  to  "invisible." 

326.  "Fancies  and  Good-nights  were  the  common  titles  of  little 
poems.  One  of  Gascoigne's  Good-nights  is  published  among  his 
Flowers^''  (Steevens). 

This  Vice's  dagger.  Alluding  to  the  w^ooden  dagger  of  the  Vice 
in  the  old  moralities.     Cf.    T.  N.  iv.  2.  136  and  i  Hen.  IV.  ii.  4. 

151- 

328.  Sworn  brother.  Alluding  to  the  fratres  jurati  of  the  times 
of  chivalry.     Cf.  A.  V.  L.  v.  4.  107,  Much  Ado,  i.  i.  73,  etc. 

330.  Burst.  Broke.  Cf.  T.  of  S.  ind.  1.8:  "  the  glasses  you 
have  burst,"  etc. 

332.  His  o'vn  name.  That  is,  a  gaunt  fellow.  Cf.  Gaunt's 
death-bed  playing  on  his  own  name  in  I\ich  II.  ii.  i.  74  fol.  See 
also  on  iv.  5.  129  below. 

2,^^.   Eel-skin.     Cf.  IC.  John,  i.  i.  141. 

335.  Beefs.  "Beeves"  (the  folio  reading).  Cf.  M.  of  V.  i.  3. 
168  :  "muttons,  beefs,  or  goats." 

337.  A  philosopher'' s  two  stones.  That  is,  double  the  value  of 
the  philosopher's  stone,  or  "more  than  the  philosopher's  stone" 
(Johnson).  "  Falstaff  thus  vaunts  his  power  of  transferring  men's 
money  from  their  pocket  to  his  own  as  surpassing  that  of  the  phi- 
losopher's stone  to  transmute  base  metals  into  gold  ;  and  the  result 
proves  his  boast  to  be  no  empty  one,  for  he  afterwards  succeeds  in 
obtaining  'a  thousand  pound'  from  Master  Shallow"  (Clarke). 
See  V.  5.  12  below. 

338.  If  the  young  dace,  t\.c.  "That  is,  if  the  pike  may  prey  upon 
the  dace,  if  it  be  the  law  of  nature  that  the  stronger  may  seize  upon 
the  weaker,  Falstaff  may,  with  great  propriety,  devour  Shallow  " 
(Johnson).  Vaughan  remarks:  "The  piscatorial  metaphor  of 
F"alstaff  seems  peculiarly  natural  to  one  born  on  the  banks  of  the 


Scene  I]  Notes  219 

Avon,  where  probably  the  best  kind  of  angling  was  trolling  for  pike 
with  dace  or  gudgeon  for  bait." 

340.   And  there  an  end.     And  there's  no  more  to  say  about  it. 
Cf.  R.  and  J.  iii.  4.  28,  Jiich  II.  v.  i.  69,  etc. 


ACT   IV 


Scene  I.  —  2.  Gaultree.  So  spelled  in  the  folios.  Holinshed 
(see  p.  161  above)  has  "  Galtree."  The  forest  of  Galtres  anciently 
extended  to  the  north  of  the  city  of  York,  and  comprised  nearly 
100,000  acres  of  land.  It  remained  a  royal  forest  until  1670,  when 
an  act  of  parliament  was  obtained  for  its  division  and  enclosure. 
It  is  the  "  Calaterium  Nemus "  of  Geoffrey  of  Monmouth,  who 
makes  it  the  scene  of  his  story  of  Arthegal  and  Elidure. 

3.   Discoverers.     Scouts. 

8.  New-dated.  Of  recent  date.  S.  is  fond  of  compounds  with 
new.    Cf.  i.  2.  149  above. 

10.  Here  doth  he  wish,  etc.  He  wishes  he  could  have  been  here 
in  person,  etc.     Yox  poivers  =  forces,  cf.  iv.  2.  61  below. 

11.  Hold  sortance.  Be  in  accordance.  CLsort  within  M.  N.  D. 
v.  I.  55  and  Hen.  V.  iv.  I.  63. 

13.    Ripe.     Ripen,  mature  ;  as  in  K.  John,  ii.  i.  472,  etc. 

15.  Overlive.     Outlive,  survive  ;   used  by  S.  only  here. 

16.  Opposite.  Opponent,  adversary;  as  in  i.  3.55  above.  Cf. 
T.  N.  iii.  2.  68,  iii.  4.  253,  293,  etc. 

23.  Gave  them  out.     Declared  them,  said  they  were. 

24.  Sivay.  "This  verb  has  excellent  effect  thus  employed,  to 
give  the  idea  of  a  military  movement,  a  body  of  forces  sweeping 
heavily,  yet  impetuously,  on  in  a  given  direction"  (Clarke). 
Johnson  compares  the  use  of  the  noun  in  Milton,  P.  L.  vi.  251 
(which  he  misquotes)  :  "  with  huge  two-handed  sway  Brandish'd 
aloft,"  etc. 

34.    Bloody.     "  Sanguine,  or  full  of  blood  and  of  those  passions 


220  Notes  [Act  IV 

which  blood  is  supposed  to  incite  or  nourish  "  (Johnson).  Malone 
compares  M.  IV.  v.  5.  99:  "Lust  is  but  a  bloody  tire."  For 
guarded  =  UimraGd.,  decked,  cf.  M.  of  V.  ii.  2.  164,  Hen,  VI I  I. 
prol.  16,  etc. 

42.  Civil.  Well-ordered ;  or  perhaps,  as  Steevens  makes  it, 
"grave,  solemn."  Cf.  R.  and J.\\\.  2.  10:  "Come,  civil  Night," 
etc. 

45.  White  investmeftis.  Dr.  Grey  says  that  formerly  all  bishops 
wore  white  (the  episcopal  rochet)  even  when  they  travelled. 

50.  Greaves.  Steevens's  conjecture  for  the  "graves"  of  the 
early  eds.  According  to  some,  the  latter  is  only  another  way  of 
spelling  greaves.  Herford  attempts  to  defend  "  graves "  thus  : 
'  As  books  result  from  the  exercise  of  the  graceful '  speech  of  peace,' 
so  '  graves '  from  the  exercise  of  the  boisterous  tongue  of  war ;  " 
but  this  seems  a  forced  interpretation. 

52.  Point.  "A  signal  given  by  the  blast  of  a  trumpet" 
(Schmidt).  Many  passages  in  the  old  dramatists  confirm  this 
explanation. 

55-79.    And  .  .  .  wrong.     Omitted  in  the  quarto. 

57.  Bleed.  That  is,  be  bled.  Cf.  Rich.  II.  i.  i.  157:  "Our  doc- 
tors say  this  is  no  month  to  bleed." 

60.  I  take  not  on  tiie  here  as  a  physician.  I  do  not  profess  to  be 
a  physician.     Cf.  C.  of  E.  \.  i.  242  :  — 

"  this  pernicious  slave, 
Forsooth,  took  on  him  as  a  conjurer,"  etc. 

69.    Griefs.     Grievances;  as  in  77  and  no  below. 

71.  Sphere.  Warburton's  correction  of  the  "  there  "  of  the  folios, 
and  generally  adopted ;  but  some  editors  retain  "  there,"  making 
most  (/?</(?/=  greatest  quiet  (cf.  M.  for  M.Av.  i.  44  :  "my  most 
stay,"  etc.)  and  "there  "=  therein,  referring  to  the  stream  of  life. 

72.  Occasion.  A  quadrisyllable  here.  See  on  ind.  26  above. 
Cf.  commission  in  162  below. 

83.   Instance.     Proof,  illustration.     See  on  iii.  i.  103  above. 


Scene  I J  Notes  221 

84.  Ill-beseeming.  Unbecoming.  CL  R.  ajtd  J.  i.  5.  76,  iii.  3. 
113,  etc.     We  have  well-beseeming  in  I  Hen.  IV.  i.  i.  14. 

90.  Grate  on.  Vex,  worry.  Cf.  M.  W.  ii.  2.  6  :  "I  have  grated 
upon  my  good  friends,"  etc.  The  metaphor  is  similar  to  that  in 
galled. 

93.  Commotion  =  insurrection  ;  as  in  36  and  ii.  4.  342  above. 
For  edge  =  sword,  cf.  I.  I/en.  IV.  i.  I.  17  :  "The  edge  of  war  ;  " 
Kick.  III.  V.  5.  35  :  "  the  edge  of  traitors,"  etc. 

This  Hne  and  95  below  are  omitted  in  the  folios  and  in  some 
copies  of  the  quarto.  It  is  the  opinion  of  some  of  the  critics  that 
several  lines  have  been  lost  here  and  the  remaining  ones  displaced. 
Various  attempts  at  rearrangement  and  emendation  have  been 
made. 

94.  My  brothe}-,  etc.  This  speech,  as  it  stands,  is  thus  explained 
by  Clarke  :  "  The  grievances  of  my  brother  general,  the  common- 
wealth, and  the  home  cruelty  to  my  born  brother,  cause  me  to 
make  this  quarrel  my  own."  The  archbishop's  brother  had  been 
beheaded  by  the  king's  order.     Cf.  i.  He7i.  IV.  i.  3.  270  :  — 

"  who  bears  hard 
His  brother's  death  at  Bristol,  the  Lord  Scroop." 

97.  Redress.  This  favours  the  supposition  that  something  has 
been  lost  above,  "  since  it  is  said  in  reply,  and  as  if  redress  had 
been  one  of  the  words  used  by  the  archbishop." 

98.  Not.  For  the  transposition,  cf.  Tenip.  ii.  i.  121  :  "I  not 
doubt,"  etc.     See  also  107  below. 

103-139.    O,  my  good  .  .  .  the  king.     Omitted  in  the  quarto. 

104.    To.     According  to. 

107.  Yet  for  your  part,  etc.  "  Whether  the  faults  of  govern- 
ment be  imputed  to  the  time  or  the  king,  it  appears  not  that  you 
have,  for  your  part,  been  injured  either  by  the  king  ox  the  time'' 
(Johnson). 

116.    Force  perforce.    A  more  emphatic  form  ol perforce,  and  like 


222  Notes  [Act  IV 

that  sometimes  =  by  force,  sometimes  =  of  necessity  (see  on  i,  3.  72 
above).     Cf.  iv.  4.  46  below,  where  it  has  the  latter  sense. 
117.    For  the  events  referred  to,  see  Rich.  II.  i.  3. 

120.  In  charge.  "In  rest"  for  the  charge  or  encounter.  For 
beaver  (=  the  movable  front  of  the  helmet),  cf.  Ham.  i.  2,  230  : 
"his  beaver  up,"  etc. 

121.  Sights.     The  eye-holes  of  the  helmet. 

125.  Warder.  Truncheon  or  staff  of  command.  Cf.  Rich.  II, 
i.  3.  118  :   "Stay,  the  king  hath  thrown  his  warder  down." 

127.  Then  threiv  he  dmvn  himself,  etc.  Cf.  Antony's  speech  in 
J.  C.  iii.  2.  195  :   "Then  I,  and  you,  and  all  of  us  fell  down,"  etc. 

129.  Miscarried.  Perished,  been  lost ;  the  most  common  sense 
in  S.     Cf.  iv.  2.  46  below. 

131.  Earl.  He  was  Duke  of  Hereford  (Malone).  See  Rich. 
II.  Elsewhere  (see  .4.  IV.  iii.  5.  12,  19,  Hen.  V.  iv.  8.  103,  R.  and 
J.  iii.  4.  21)  S.  uses  earl  loosely  of  foreign  noblemen  (=  count). 

135.  Coventry.  The  place  where  the  lists  were  held.  See 
Rich.  II.  i.  3. 

145.  Every  thing  set  off.  The  phrase  is  ambiguous,  and  thus 
serves  the  speaker's  purpose.  5(?/ <^  may  be  =  cast  out,  ignored, 
or  =  rendered  account  for. 

149.  Overween,  Think  arrogantly,  CL  T.  A.W.  \.  2<^,  Rich.  II. 
i.  I.  147,  etc.     See  also  Milton,  Sonn.  4.  6:  — 

"and  they  that  overween, 
And  at  thy  growing  virtues  fret  their  spleen,"  etc. 

151.  Within  a  ken.  Within  sight.  Cf.  Cyi)i/>.m.  6.  6  :  "Thou 
wast  within  a  ken  ;  "  R.  of  L.  1 1 14 :  "  'T  is  double  death  to  die  in 
ken  of  shore,"  etc. 

154.  Battle.  Army.  See  on  iii.  2.  155  above,  and  cf.  179  below. 
Names  =  great  names,  or  men  of  note. 

161.    Handling.     A  trisyllable  here. 

164.  Determine.  Followed  by  of;  as  in  T,  C.  of  V.  ii.  4.  l8l, 
Rich.  Ill,  iii.  4.  2,  R.  and  J.  iii.  2.  51,  etc. 


Scene  I]  Notes  223 

166.  Intended.     Understood,  implied  (Fr.  entendu). 

167.  /  7niise,  etc.  I  wonder  that  you  can  ask  a  question  so 
frivolous.     For  muse,  cf.  K.John,  iii.  i.  317,  Cor.  iii.  2.  7,  etc. 

172.  Insitiewed.     Joined,  allied.     Ci.  K. /ohii,v.  2.  6;^:  — 

"  so  nobles,  shall  you  all 
That  knit  your  sinews  to  the  strength  of-mine." 

See  also  177  below. 

1 73.  By  a  true  substantial  for  j)i.  "  That  is,  by  a  pardon  of  due 
form  and  legal  validity"  (Johnson). 

174.  Present.     Immediate  ;    as  often.     Cf.  iv.  3.  73  below. 

175.  ConJi)i\i.  "What  they  demand  is,  a  speedy  execution  of 
their  wills,  so  far  as  they  relate  to  themselves,  and  to  the  grievances 
which  they  proposed  to  redress"  (Mason).  Some  editors  adopt 
Johnson's  conjecture  of  "  consign'd."  He  explained  the  amended 
passage  thus  :  "  Let  the  execution  of  our  demands  be  put  into  our 
hands,  according  to  our  declared  purposes."  Malone  followed 
Johnson,  but  made  "  consigned  "  =  "sealed,  ratified,  confirmed" 
(cf.  V.  ii.  143  below). 

176.  Our  awful  banks.  "The  proper  limits  of  reverence" 
(Johnson).  For  awful ^=  filled  with  awe  or  reverence,  cf.  Rich.  II. 
iii.  3.  76  :  "To  pay  their  awful  duty  to  our  presence." 

187.  Consist.  Either  =  stand,  rest  (as  explained  by  Malone)  or 
=  "  insist,"  which  Rowe  substituted.  Cf.  Per.  i.  4.  83  :  "  Welcome 
is  peace,  if  he  on  peace  consist."  The  context  (cf.  165  and  184 
above)  favours  the  former  interpretation. 

189.    Our  valuation.    That  is,  the  king's  estimate  or  opinion  of  us. 

191.  Alee.  Trivial.  Cf  R.  and  J.  iii.  i.  159:  "The  letter  was 
not  nice,  but  full  of  charge." 

192.  Action.  A  trisyllable.  See  on  72  above,  and  cL  partition 
in  196  just  below. 

193.  T/iat.  So  that.  See  on  i.  i.  197  above,  and  cf.  216  below. 
Our  royal  faiths  —  our  faith  or  fidelity  to  the  king.  For  the  plural, 
see  on  ii.  3.  25  above. 


224  Notes  [Act  IV 

196.   Partition.    Cf.  Cymb.  i.  6.  37  :  — 

"  and  can  we  not 
Partition  make  with  spectacles  so  precious 
'Twixt  fair  and  foul  ?  " 

198.  Picking.  Petty,  insignificant.  Schmidt  explains  it  as 
"sought  industriously  (German  gesiicht).'"  Cf.  picked  =  re.fme.d, 
fastidious  {^Ham.  v.  i.  151).     Herford  makes  it  =  " capricious." 

201.    Tables.     Tablets,  note-book.     See  on  ii.  4.  242  above. 

203.    History.     The  only  instance  of  the  verb  in  S. 

206.  Misdoubts.  Suspicions.  The  noun  is  found  again  in 
2  Hen.  VI.  iii.  i.  332.     For  occasion,  see  on  72  above. 

208.  Plucking,  etc.  White  notes  the  allusion  to  the  parable  of 
the  tares  and  the  wheat. 

211.  Hitn  on.  The  pronoun  gives  "the  double  effect  of  the 
husband  who  is  implied  in  the  word  wife,  and  the  king  who  was 
mentioned  at  the  beginning  of  the  speech." 

213.  Hangs.  That  is,  suspends  it,  in  a  figurative  as  well  as  a 
literal  sense.     Cf.  T.  and  C.  iv.  5.  188 :  — 

"  When  tliou  hast  hung  thy  advanced  sword  i'  the  air, 
Not  letting  it  decline  on  the  declin'd." 

Resolv'd  correction  =  the  chastisement  he  has  resolved  or  de- 
termined upon.  Cf.  K.John,  ii.  i.  585:  "a  resolv'd  and  honour- 
able war."  The  meaning  of  the  whole  passage  is:  and  checks  or 
restrains  the  purposed  chastisement  in  the  hand  already  raised  to 
execute  it.  The  passage  does  not  strike  me  as  a  difficult  one,  but 
Hudson  (school  ed.)  obscures  it  by  the  following  note :  "  The 
meaning  is  rather  obscure.  The  antithesis  is  between  correction 
and  execution.  Resolv'd  has  the  sense  of  assured,  a  frequent  use 
of  the  word  in  S.  In  the  case  supposed,  the  arm  upreared  to  strike 
is  sure  to  be  arrested."  The  antithesis  is  not  between  correction 
and  execution,  and  resolv'd  cannot  possibly  mean  "  sure  to  be 
arrested." 

216.    That.     See  on  193  above. 


Scene  II]  Notes  225 

219.  Offer.  Menace,  or  assail.  Cf.  i  He^i.  IV.  iv.  i.  69:  "the 
offering  side." 

221.  Atonement.  Reconciliation;  the  only  sense  in  S.  Cf. 
M.  W.  i.  I.  33  and  Rich.  III.  i.  3.  36. 

225.    Pleaseth.     Cf.  iv.  2.  52  below,  and  see  on  i.  i.  5  above. 

Scene  II.  —  l.  You  are  well  e7icotmter''d.  We  are  glad  to  meet 
you. 

8.  An  iron  man.  Hohnshed  (see  p.  161  above)  describes  the 
archbishop  as  "  clad  in  armour." 

14.  Set  abroach.  Cause;  but  only  in  a  bad  sense.  Cf.  i'??V//. ///. 
i.  3.  325  and  R.  and  J.  i.  i.  iii. 

20.    Intelligencer.     Mediator,  agent ;   asm  Rich.  III.  u.  ^."Ji'. — 

"  Richard  yet  lives,  hell's  black  intelligencer, 
Only  reserv'd  their  factor,  to  buy  souls 
And  send  them  thither." 

26.  Ta'enup.  Levied;  as  in  ii.  i.  184  above.  For  other  senses 
of  the  expression,  see  on  i.  2.  41  and  i.  3.  73  above. 

27.  Zeal  of  God.  Pious  zeal ;  devotion  to  God's  cause. 
33.  iMisorder'd.  Disordered  ;  used  by  S.  nowhere  else. 
36.    Grief.     See  on  iv.  i.  69  above. 

39.  Whose  dangerous  eyes,  etc.  Alluding  to  the  dragon  charmed 
to  rest  by  the  spells  of  Medea. 

45.    Supplies.     Reserves,  reinforcements.     See  on  i.  3.  12  above. 
47,    Success.     Succession.     Cf.  IV.   7".  i.  2.  394  :  — 

"  our  parents'  noble  names, 
In  whose  success  we  are  gentle,"  etc. 

49.  Whiles.  Used  interchangeably  with  T^////^.  ¥ox  generation, 
see  on  ind.  26  above. 

52.    Pleaseth.     Let  it  please.     See  on  i.  i.  5  and  iii.  i.  98  above. 
54.   Allow.     Approve.     Malone  compares  Zmr,  ii.  4.  194:  — 

"  if  your  sweet  sway 
Allow  obedience." 

2  HENRY   IV  —  15 


126  Notes  [Act  IV 

The  meaning,  however,  may  be,  I  readily  admit  or  grant  them.  Cf. 
i.  3.  5  above. 

56.  Mistook.  S.  uses  both  mistook  and  mistaken  (or  mista'eii) 
as  the  participle.     Cf.  lien.  V.  ii.  4.  30  with  Id.  iii.  6.  85. 

61.  Discharge  your  powers.  Dismiss  your  forces.  It  was  West- 
moreland, according  to  Ilolinshed  (see  p.  162  above),  who  made 
this  deceitful  proposal,     Yox  powers,  see  on  iv.  i.  lo  above. 

70.    Part.     Depart ;   as  often. 

79.    In  very  happy  season.  Cf.  J.  C.  ii.  2. 60  :  "in  very  happy  time." 

81.  Against  ill  chances  men  are  ever  merry.  Thus  Romeo  feels 
an  unacc7cstomed  degree  of  cheerfulness  just  before  he  hears  the 
news  of  the  death  of  Juliet.     See  A",  and  J.  v.  i.  i  fol. 

85.  Passing.  Exceedingly ;  used  only  before  adjectives  and 
adverbs. 

93.  Otir.  Changed  by  Capell  to  "  your  "  ;  but,  as  Clarke  re- 
marks, "  it  is  just  one  of  those  fair-sounding  proposals  that  this 
perfidious  son  of  tricking  Bolingbroke  makes  ;  he  proposes  to  let 
the  forces  on  each  side  march  by,  that  each  party  may  see  those 
that  were  to  have  contended  with  them,  well  knowing  that  no  such 
thing  will  take  place,  having  evidently  had  an  understanding  with 
Westmoreland  as  to  what  was  to  be  really  done." 

94.  Peruse.  Survey,  examine.  Cf.  Ham.  iv.  7.  135:  "Will  not 
peruse  the  foils,"  etc. 

97.  Lie.  Occupy  the  same  house  or  lodgings.  Vaughan  re- 
marks that  the  same  expression  occurs  rather  quaintly  in  Holin- 
shed,  who  says  of  Edward  Balliol  after  his  expulsion  from  Scotland, 
"  After  this  he  went  and  laie  a  time  with  the  Lady  of  Gines,  that 
was  his  kinswoman."     Cf.  iii.  2.  288  above. 

109.  Attach.  Arrest ;  as  in  C.  of  E.  iv.  i.  6,  73,  iv.  4.  6,  Rich. 
II.  i.  3.  196,  etc. 

112.  Pawn''d.  Pledged.  <Z{.  K. John,\\\.  \.  ()%:  "Have  I  not 
pawn'd  to  you  my  majesty  ?  " 

119.  Fondly.  Foolishly;  as  in  Rich.  II.  iii.  3.  185,  Rich.  III. 
iii.  7.  147,  etc. 


Scene  III]  Notes  227 

121.  God,  and  not  we,  G.\.z.  "  This  sickening  hypocrisy  of  daring 
to  ascribe  to  Heaven  so  glaring  an  act  of  treachery  and  faithless- 
ness is  thoroughly  in  keeping  with  Prince  John's  cohl-natured  and 
treacherous  character  —  as  inherited  from  his  oily,  crafty  father" 
(Clarke). 

Johnson  remarks :  "  It  cannot  but  raise  some  indignation,  to  find 
this  horrid  violation  of  faith  passed  over  thus  slightly  by  the  poet, 
without  any  note  of  censure  or  detestation."  Verplanck  adds :  "  In 
this  indignation  most  commentators  have  joined.  I  do  not  see 
why.  Chief-Justice  jNIarshall  is  said  to  have  observed  to  a  prolix 
counsel,  who  had  entered  upon  a  demonstration  of  some  familiar 
elementary  doctrine,  that  '  he  ought  to  presume  that  the  court 
knew  something!'  Shakespeare  always  presumes  his  readers  to 
have  the  first  principles  of  morals  and  human  feelings  in  their 
hearts,  and  does  not  enter  into  declamatory  demonstration  to  show 
the  baseness  or  guilt  of  the  deeds  he  represents  in  his  scenes. 
Here  he  portrays  the  political  craft  of  Bolingbroke  and  his  cold- 
blooded son,  whom  he  has  thought  fit,  for  his  dramatic  purpose, 
with  little  warrant  from  history,  to  place  in  contrast  with  his  nobler 
brother.  He  took  it  for  granted  that,  when  Mowbray  asks,  '  Is 
this  proceeding  just  and  honourable  ?  '  his  audience  would  find  an 
unhesitating  and  unanimous  nega'tive  and  indignant  reply  in  their 
own  hearts,  without  hearing  a  sermon  upon  it  from  the  deceived 
archbishop,  or  a  lecture  from  some  bystander." 

Scene  III.  —  8.  Place.  Tyrwhitt  proposed  to  change  place  in 
the  next  line  to  "  dale  ;  "  but  Vaughan  says :  "  In  Falstaff's  reason- 
ing, the  major  premiss  —  that  is,  'all  places  deep  enough  are  dales' 
—  is  understood  without  being  expressed;  the  minor  premiss,  'a 
dungeon  is  a  place  deep  enough,'  is  expressed.  From  the  two 
combined  follows  logically  and  strictly  the  conclusion,  '  You,  being 
in  a  dungeon  and  of  a  dungeon,  are  in  a  dale  and  of  a  dale  !  '  " 
That  Falstaff  was  a  logician  we  might  infer  from  l  Hen,  IV.  ii.  4. 
544 :   "  I  deny  your  major." 


228  Notes  [Act  IV 

15.  Observattce.  Homage.  Cf.  AI.  W.  ii.  2.  203:  "a  doting 
observance,"  etc. 

21.  Indifferency.  Moderate  measure;  used  again  \n  K.  John, 
ii.  I.  579.     S.  does  not  use  indifference. 

22.  Womb.  Used  jocosely  by  Falstaff,  but  in  Old  English 
equivalent  to  belly.  Wiclit's  Bible,  in  Luke,  xv.  16,  has,  "he 
coveted  to  fill  his  womb  of  the  cods  that  the  hogs  did  eat." 

24.  The  heat  is  past.  The  race  is  over  ;  referring  to  the  pursuit 
of  "  the  scattered  stray"  (iv.  2.  120).  Johnson  explained  heat  ^^ 
"  the  violence  of  resentment,  the  eagerness  of  revenge."  Schmidt 
makes  heat  =  "  haste,  urgency." 

31.  Chech.  Reproof;  as  often.  Cf.  the  verb  in  i.  2.  198  and 
iii.  I.  68  above. 

33.  Poor  and  old  motioji.  "  Sir  John's  wit  can  make  his  age  as 
good  a  plea  here  as  he  made  his  youth  answer  the  purpose  on 
another  occasion  "  (Clarke).     Cf.  i.  2.  175  fol.  above. 

36.  Posts.  Post-horses.  Clarke  remarks :  "  Falstaff's  fine  exag- 
gerations have  so  rich  an  excess  that  they  proclaim  their  own  im- 
munity from  censure  as  lies.  They  at  once  avow  innocence  of 
intention  to  deceive  ;  they  are  uttered  for  the  pure  pleasure  of 
wit-invention.  .  .  .  He  never  proves  his  case  ;  but  he  so  ably 
defends  his  cause  that  he  invariably  gains  the  day.  No  one  can 
condemn,  though  no  one  acquits  him  ;  he  is  left  unjudged,  and 
suffered  still  to  go  at  large,  and  in  triumph  —  the  victor  ever." 

47.  /;/  a  particular  ballad.  According  to  the  fashion  in  Shake- 
speare's time  of  making  important  or  interesting  events  of  the  day 
the  subjects  of  ballads.     Cf.  W.  T.  iv.  4.  186,  188,  262,  263,  etc. 

52.  The  element.  The  sky.  Cf. /.  C.  i.  3.  128,  Lear,  iii.  i.  4, 
etc.  Vaughan  remarks:  "This  old  signification  is  still  retained 
by  the  folk  of  South  Pembrokeshire.  A  peasant  recently  said  to 
me:  'I  thought  this  morning  that  we  should  have  rain,  for  I  saw, 
as  I  came  along,  a  weather-gall  in  the  element.'  A  '  weather-gall ' 
is  a  kind  of  half-rainbow,  and  is  regarded  as  a  sign  of  wet  weather 
by  the  country  people." 


Scene  III]  Notes  229 

62.  Colevile.  Here,  as  in  72  below,  the  word  appears  to  be  a 
trisyllable,  and  it  may  have  been  intended  to  be  regularly  so.  Lines 
60  and  6 1  might  then  be  a  Une  of  verse;  but  they  are  generally 
made  prose,  as  here. 

73.   Present.     See  on  iv.  i.  174  above. 

80.  My  lord,  etc.  Some  editors  print  this  speech  as  verse,  ex- 
plaining Falstaff's  use  of  it  as  due  to  "  the  seriousness  of  the 
request." 

82.  Stand  7ny  good  lord.  Be  my  kind  patron,  befriend  me.  Cf. 
ii.  I.  63  above. 

83.  In  my  condition.  "  In  my  official  capacity  "  (Schmidt).  It 
often  means  rank  or  social  position  ;  as  in  Temp.  iii.  i.  59,  i  Hen. 
IV.  iv.  3.  I,  etc. 

87.  A  man  cannot  make  him  laugh.  "A  quality  deeply  dis- 
tasteful to  Shakespeare,  to  his  finest  characters,  and  to  all  those 
who  know  how  essentially  a  sense  of  humour  is  allied  to  the  finest 
sensibilities  of  humanity.  .  .  .  The  man  who  could  see  and  hear 
Falstaff  unmoved  was  the  very  man  to  coolly  order  '  those  traitors 
to  the  block  of  death,'  after  having  cheated  them  by  fair-sound- 
ing promises  —  cold,  hard,  impervious  to  feeling  throughout" 
(Clarke). 

90.  Come  to  any  proof.  Prove  to  be  worth  anything.  Cf. 
Holinshed,  Chron.  :  "  a  vehement  frost  .  .  .  destroyed  up  all  the 
seed  almost  that  was  sowne,  by  reason  whereof  small  store  of 
winter  corne  came  to  proof  in  the  summer  following." 

94.  Sherris-sack.  Sherry  wine  ;  called  simply  sherris  just  be- 
low. Sack  was  "the  generic  name  of  Spanish  and  Canary 
wines"  (Schmidt).  Malone  quotes  Minsheu,  Span.  Diet.,  1617: 
"  XSres,  or  Xeres,  oppidum  BceticK,  i.e.  Andalusioe,  prope  Cadiz, 
unde  nomen  vini  de  Xeres.  A.  [Anglice]  Xeres  sacked  Cole,  who 
m  1679  renders  sack  "vinum  Hispanicum,"  defines  Sherry-sack  zs 
"  vinum  Eseritaiium." 

Ascends  me.  The  me  is  the  expletive.  See  on  iii.  2.  269  above. 
Verplanck  thinks  that  S.  here  "  was  indebted  to  the  conversation 


230  Notes  [Act  IV 

of  his  friend  Ben  Jonson,  borrowing  this  from  his  tall<,  without 
meaning  that  the  resemblance  went  any  further."  He  adds:  "It 
seems,  from  lately  discovered  manuscripts  of  old  Ben's,  that  he  had 
precisely  this  opinion  of  excellent  '  sherris,'  in  making  the  brain 
'  apprehensive,  quick,  forgetive,  full  of  nimble,  fiery,  and  delectable 
shapes,'  etc.  In  an  unpublished  sort  of  diary  of  Ben  Jonson's, 
preserved  at  Duluich  College,  quoted  by  Ilughson  (^History  of 
London'),  he  says :  '  Mem.  I  laid  the  plot  of  my  Volpone,  and  wrote 
most  of  it,  after  a  present  of  ten  doz.  of  Paitn  sack,  from  my  very 

good  lord  T ;   that  play,  I  am  positive,  will  last  to  posterity, 

when  I  and  Envy  are  friends  with  applause.'  Afterwards  he  speaks 
of  his  Catiline  in  a  similar  way,  but  adds  that  he  thinks  one  of  liis 
scenes  flat ;  and  thereupon  resolves  to  drink  no  more  water  with 
his  wine.  The  Alchemist  and  Silent  Woman  he  describes  as  the 
product  of  much  and  good  wine  ;  but  he  adds  that  his  comedy 
The  Devil  is  an  Ass  'was  written  when  I  and  my  boys  drank  bad 
wine.' " 

96.  Crudy.  Crude,  raw;  used  by  S.  only  here.  Crude  does 
not  occur  in  his  works. 

97.  Forgetive.  Inventive,  imaginative  ;  horn  forge.  The  word 
is  found  nowhere  else. 

102.  7'he  liver  white,  etc.  Cf.  M.  of  V.  iii.  2.  86 :  "  How  many 
cowards  .  .  .  have  livers  white  as  milk  ;  "  7'.  and  C.  ii.  2.  50 : 
"  Make  livers  pale  and  lustihood  deject,"  etc.  Cf.  also  lily-livered 
{Macb.  v.  3.  15,  Lear,  ii.  2.  18),  milk-livered  (^L.  L.  L.  iv.  2.  50), 
white-livered  {//en.  V.  iii.  2.  34,  /\ich.  ///.  iv.  4.  465),  etc. 

106.    This  little  kingdom,  man.     Cf.  A'.  John,  iv.  2.  246  :  — 

"this  fleshly  land, 
This  kingdom,  this  confine  of  blood  and  breath  ;  " 

and  see  also  T.  and  C.  ii.  3.  185,/.  C.  ii.  i.  58,  and  Macb.  i.  3.  140. 

108.   Muster  me.     Cf.  94  above. 

112.  A-work.  To  work  ;  used  only  with  set.  Cf.  R.  of  L,  1496, 
T.  and  C.  v.  10.  38,  Ham.  ii.  2.  510,  and  Lear,  iii.  5.  8. 


Scene  IV]  Notes  23 1 

113.  Kept  by  a  devil.  Alluding  to  the  old  superstition  that 
mines  of  gold,  etc.,  were  guarded  by  evil  spirits.  Steevens  quotes 
Fenton,  Secrete  Wonders  of  Nature,  1569:  "There  appeare  at  this 
day  many  strange  visions  and  wicked  spirites  in  the  metal-mines  of 
the  Create  Turke  ;  "  and  again  :  "  In  the  mine  at  Anneburg  was  a 
mettal  sprite  which  killed  twelve  workmen  ;  the  same  causing  the 
rest  to  forsake  the  myne,  albeit  it  was  very  riche." 

Commences  it  and  sets  in  act  and  use.  The  critics  generally 
agree  with  Tyrwhitt  that  there  is  an  allusion  here  "  to  the  Cam- 
bridge Commencement  s.T\d  the  Oxford  ^<r//  for  by  those  different 
names  the  two  universities  have  long  distinguished  the  season  at 
which  each  gives  to  her  respective  students  a  complete  authority 
to  use  those  hoards  of  learning  \vh\ch  have  entitled  them  to  their 
several  degrees." 

119.  Tliat.    So  Ihat.    See  on  i.  I.  197  above.    Fertile  =  ievtWhing. 

120.  Hniuane.  Omitted  in  the  folios.  Johnson  changed  it  to 
"  human."  Humane  is  the  only  spelling  of  the  word  in  the  early 
eds.  even  when  it  is  equivalent  to  the  modern  human,  and  the 
accent  in  verse  is  regularly  on  the  first  syllable. 

127.  Tempering.  An  allusion  to  the  old  use  of  soft  wax  for 
sealing.  Steevens  quotes  Middleton,  Any  Thing  for  a  Quiet  Life  : 
"You  must  temper  him  like  wax,  or  he  '11  not  seal;"  and  Your 
Five  Gallants  :  "  Fetch  a  pennyworth  of  soft  wax  to  seal  letters." 
See  also  V.  ajid  A.  565. 

Scene  IV.  — 5.  Address'd.  Prepared,  ready.  Cf./.  C.  iii.  i. 
29,  Af.  N.  D.  v.  I.  107,  etc.  Po-wer=  army;  as  in  i.  i.  133,  i.  3. 
29,  71,  etc. 

6.  IVcll  invested.  Properly  installed,  or  invested  with  author- 
ity.    Cf.  Macli.  ii.  4.  32 :   "gone  to  Scone  To  be  invested." 

9.   Pause  us.     The  only  instance  of  the  reflexive  use  of  the  verb 

inS. 

20.   Ho'ci)  chance,  etc.     How  chances  it,  etc.     Cf.  Kich.  If.  iv.  2. 

99.  etc. 


232  Notes  [Act  IV 

27.  Omit.  Neglect ;  a  sense  which  it  has  elsewhere  (as  in 
Temp.  i.  2.  183,  ii.  i.  194,  Cor.  iii.  i.  146,  etc.),  though  this  is  the 
only  instance  w  ith  a  personal  object. 

30.  Observ'd.  Treated  with  due  obse7-vance  or  deference;  as  in 
T.  and  C.  ii.  3.  137,  T.  of  A.  iv.  3.  212,  etc. 

33.  Being  iticens  V,  he  ^s  flint.  "  If  any  thing  be  done  to  pro- 
voke him,  he  breaks  out  in  angry  and  transient  sparks  like  a  flint" 
(Vaughan).  Cf. _/.  C.  iv.  3.  in  :  "That  carries  anger  as  the  flint 
bears  fire." 

34.  Humorous.  Wayward,  capricious.  Cf.  A.  Y.  L.  i.  2.  278, 
ii.  3.  8,  etc.  The  simile  as  winter  would  seem  natural  enough  in 
New  England,  but  is  not  so  appropriate  in  Old  England.  Malone 
suggests  \\\2X  htimoroiis  may  jje  used  equivocally:  "he  abounds  in 
capricious  fancies,  as  winter  abounds  in  moisture."  "As  humor- 
ous as  April"  (cf.  T.  G.  of  V.  i.  3.  85)  occurs  in  The  Silent 
Woman  and  elsewhere. 

35.  As  flaws  congealed,  etc.  "  Alluding  to  the  opinion  of  some 
philosophers  that  the  vapours  being  congealed  in  the  air  by  cold 
(which  is  most  intense  towards  the  morning),  and  being  after- 
wards rarefied  and  let  loose  by  the  warmth  of  the  sun,  occasion 
those  sudden  and  impetuous  gusts  of  wind  which  are  C3.\\c([  flaws" 
(Warburton).  Edwards  says  ih^i  flaw  sometimes  means  a  blade 
of  ice  seen  on  edges  of  water  in  winter  mornings  ;  and  Dyce  adds 
that  he  has  heard  the  word  similarly  used.  S.  may  use  the  word 
in  this  sense. 

39.   Being  moody.     When  he  is  out  of  humour. 
41.    Confound.     Exhaust.     It  often  means  to  wear  away  or  de- 
stroy. 

44.  The  imited  vessel  of  their  blood.  The  vessel  of  their  united 
blood.     Such  transposition  of  epithets  in  S.  is.not  uncommon. 

45.  Mingled  with  venom  of  suggestion.  Malone  makes  this  = 
"  though  their  blood  be  inflamed  by  the  temptations  to  which  youth 
is  peculiarly  subject."  I  am  inclined  to  agree  with  Vaughan,  who 
says :  "  The  whole  tenor  of  the  king's  address  to  Clarence  is  that 


Scene  IV]  Notes  233 

of  an  exhortation  to  keep  the  brotherhood  of  the  princes  free  from 
fatal  dissensions.  Youthful  temptations  under  any  point  of  view 
are  not  alluded  to."  He  interprets  the  passage  thus  :  "even  al- 
though that  blood  shall  be  mingled  with  the  venomous  infusion  of 
all  such  provocatives  of  discord  as  the  persons  and  circumstances 
of  the  age  in  which  we  live  are  certain  to  pour  into  it  despite  of 
every  precaution,  and  although,  further,  that  infusion  work  like 
aconite  or  gunpowder." 

46.   Force  perforce.     See  on  iv.  i .  116  above. 

48.  Aconituin.  Aconite.  The  Latin  form  is  the  one  regularly 
used  by  writers  of  the  time.  Steevens  cites  Hey  wood,  Brazen  Age, 
1613:  "With  aconitum  that  in  Tartar  springs,"  etc.  I\ash  = 
quickly  ignited  ;  as  in  Kick.  II.  ii.  i.  t^t,  :  "  His  rash  fierce  blaze  of 
riot  cannot  last  ;  "  and  I  Hen.  IV.  iii.  2.  61  :  "rash,  bavin  wits, 
Soon  kindled  and  soon  burnt." 

53.  And  other  his.  Cf.  M.  IV.  ii.  2.  259  :  "and  a  thousand  other 
her  defences  ;  "  and  Lear,  i.  4.  259  :   "  Of  other  your  new  pranks." 

64.  Lavish.     Loose,  licentious. 

65.  Affections.  Propensities,  inclinations.  Cf.  R.  and  J.  i.  i. 
118,  Ham.  iii.  i.  170,  etc. 

67.  You  look  beyond  him.  You  misjudge  or  misconstrue  him. 
Schmidt  compares  Ham.  ii.  i.  115  :  "To  cast  beyond  ourselves  in 
our  opinions."  The  idea  seems  to  be  that  of  "  overshooting  the 
mark  "  in  our  estimate. 

74.  Perfectness.  The  word  occurs  again  in  L.  L.  L.  v.  2.  173  : 
"  Is  this  your  perfectness  ?  " 

79.    Seldom  when.     Seldom  that.     Cf.  M.  for  M.  iv.  2.  89  :  — 

"  This  is  a  gentle  provost ;  seldom  when 
The  steeled  jailer  is  the  friend  of  men." 

Johnson  paraphrases  the  passage  thus  :  "  as  the  bee,  having  once 
placed  her  comb  in  a  carcase,  stays  by  her  honey,  so  he  that  has 
once  taken  pleasure  in  bad  company  will  continue  to  associate  with 
those  that  have  the  art  of  pleasing  him." 


234  Notes  [Act  IV 

90.   In  his  pa7-ticular.     In  its  detail. 

92.    l^he  haunch.     The  latter  part,  the  close. 

loi.  Please  it  you.  May  it  please  you.  See  on  i.  i.  5  and  on  ill. 
I.  98  above. 

105.  Stomach.  Appetite.  Cf.  Much  Ado,  i.  3.  16,  M.  of  V.  iii. 
5.  92,  etc. 

119.  Hath  wrought  the  inure.  Hath  worn  the  wall.  The  past 
tense  of  work  is  regularly  wrought  in  S.  The  "  workcnl  "  in  T.  of 
A.  V.  I.  116  is  "an  inadmissible  substitution  of  modern  editors" 
(Schmidt).  Mure  (Lat.  iiiurus)  is  used  by  S.  nowhere  else. 
Steevens  cites,  among  other  examples  of  the  word,  Heywood, 
Golden  Age,  1611  :  "Girt  with  a  triple  mure  of  shining  brass." 
We  find  the  verb  (=  shut  up)  in  Spenser,  F.  Q.  vi.  12.  34  :  — 

"  he  looke  a  muzzel  strong 
Of  surest  yron,  made  with  many  a  lincke: 
Therewith  he  mured  up  his  mouth  along, 
And  therein  shut  up  his  blasphemous  tong." 

The  same  thought  occurs  in  Daniel's  Ci7Jil  Wars,  book  iv.,  refer- 
ring, as  here,  to  the  sickness  of  Henry  IV.  :  — 

"  As  that  the  walls  worn  thin  permit  the  mind 
To  look  out  thorow,  and  his  frailtie  find." 

The  first  four  books  of  the  Civil  PVars  were  printed  in  1595,  and 
S.  had  probably  read  them.     In  the  tirst  ed.  the  lines  read  :  — 

"  Wearing  the  walls  so  thin,  that  now  the  mind 
Might  well  look  thorough,  and  his  frailty  find." 

His  here  =  its,  referring  to  wall,  not  to  mind  (Malone). 

121.  Fear  me.  Make  me  fear,  alarm  me.  -Cf.  T.  of  S.  i.  2.  211 : 
"  Fear  boys  with  bugs,"  etc. 

122.  Loathly.  Loathsome.  Cf.  Femp.  iv.  i.  21  :  "weeds  so 
loathly."  In  0th.  iii.  4.  62,  the  ist  quarto  has  "  loathly,"  the  other 
early  eds.  "  loathed," 


Scene  V]  Notes  235 

Uitfaiher\i  heirs  =  creatures  supposed  to  be  born  without  pro- 
genitors ;  and  loathly  births  of  nature  =  unnatural  births,  monstrosi- 
ties. According  to  Staunton,  the  unfathe7-'' d  heirs  were  certain 
so-called  prophets,  who  pretended  to  have  been  conceived  by 
miracle,  like  Merlin.      Cf.  Spenser,  F.  Q.  iii.  3.  13  :  — 

"  And,  sooth,  men  say  that  he  was  not  the  Sonne 
Of  mortall  Syre  or  other  living  wight, 
But  wondrously  begotten,  and  begonne 
By  false  ilhision  of  a  guilefull  Spright 
On  a  faire  Lady  Nonne,  that  whilome  hight 
Matilda,  daughter  to  Pubidius, 
Who  was  the  lord  of  Mathraval  by  right, 
And  coosen  unto  King  Ambrosius ; 
Whence  he  indued  was  with  skill  so  merveilous." 

See  also  Montaigne,  Essays  :  "  In  Mahouiefs  religion,  by  the  easie 
beleefe  of  that  people,  are  many  Merlins  found  ;  That  is  to  say, 
fatherles  children  ;  Spiritual  children,  conceived  and  borne  devinely 
in  the  wombs  of  virgins,"  etc. 

123.  The  seasons  change  their  manners,  etc.  Cf.  J\f.  N.  D.  ii.  i. 
106-114.     As  —  as  if. 

125.  The  river,  etc.  Referring  to  the  tides  in  the  Thames.  Cf. 
ii.  3.  63  above.  Steevens  remarks  :  "This  is  historically  true;  it 
happened  on  the  12th  of  October,  1411." 

128.    Sick'd.     The  only  instance  of  the  verb  in  S. 

132.  Exeunt.  Omitted  in  ist  Cambridge  edition.  See  next 
note. 

Scene  V,  —  There  is  no  new  scene  here  in  the  early  eds.,  and 
the  modern  ones  generally  follow  Capell  in  directing  that  the  king 
be  "  conveyed  into  an  inner  part  of  the  room  and  laid  upon  a  bed." 
Dyce  has  the  following  stage-direction  :  "  They  place  the  King  on 
a  bed ;  a  change  of  scene  being  supposed  here."  In  a  note  he  says  : 
"The  audience  of  Shakespeare's  time  were  to  suppose  that  a  change 
of  scene   took  place  as  soon  as  the  king  was  laid  on  the  bed." 


236 


Notes  [Act  IV 


The  Cambridge  editors,  who  begin  a  new  scene  here,  remark  : 
"Capell's  stage-direction  is  not  satisfactory,  for  it  implies  a  change 
of  scene,  though  none  is  indicated  in  the  text.  The  king's  couch 
would  not  be  placed  in  a  recess  at  the  back  of  the  stage,  because 
he  has  to  make  speeches  from  it  of  considerable  length.  He  must 
therefore  be  lying  in  front  of  the  stage,  where  he  could  be  seen  and 
heard  by  the  audience."  To  my  mind  it  is  perfectly  clear  that  the 
king  is  now  carried  to  another  room.  At  the  close  of  the  scene 
(see  233  below)  he  asks  what  was  the  name  of  the  chamber  in 
which  he  "first  did  swoon  "  (see  iv.  4.  no  above),  and,  being  told 
that  it  is  the  Jerusalem  Chamber,  he  asks  to  be  borne  to  it  ;  but  if 
there  is  no  change  of  scene  here,  he  is  already  in  the  Jerusalem 
Chamber.  No  commentator,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  refers  to  this. 
The  Jerusalem  Chamber  is  not  a  bedroom.  The  king  is  holding  a 
council  there  when  he  swoons  ;  and  when  he  asks  to  be  taken  to 
"some  other  chamber"  (that  is,  to  a  bedroom),  he  is  of  course 
obeyed,  and  the  scene  shifts  to  that  chamber,  where  he  remains 
until  he  asks  to  be  borne  back  to  the  Jerusalem  Chamber,  on 
account  of  the  prophecy  concerning  his  death. 

2.  Dull.  "  Gentle,  soothing  "  (Johnson) ;  or  rather,  as  Malone 
and  Schmidt  give  it,  "  producing  dulness,  disposing  to  sleep."  Cf. 
the  use  of  dull  —  drowsy,  in  iii.  i.  15  above.  So  dulness  =  drowsi- 
ness in  Temp.  i.  2.  185. 

24.  Ports.  Portals,  gates;  as  in  T.  and  C.  iv,  4,  113,  138,  Cor. 
i.  7.  I,  v.  6.  6,  etc. 

27.  Biggen.  Nightcap.  The  word  properly  means  a  coarse 
headband  or  cap  like  that  worn  by  the  Bcguines,  an  order  of  Flem- 
ish nuns.  Cf.  Jonson,  \''olpone :  "  Get  you  a  biggin  more,  your 
brain  breaks  loose." 

31.  With  safety.  That  is,  while  it  gives  safety  or  protects  from 
danger. 

2,2),  Suspire.  Breathe  ;  used  by  S,  only  here  and  in  K.  Jokuy 
iii.  4.  80. 

34.   Perforce.     Of  necessity.     See  on  i.  I,  165  above. 


Scene  V]  Notes  237 

36.  Rigol.  Circle;  a  word  found  _only  here  and  in  R.  of  L. 
1745:  "a  watery  rigol."     It  is  from  the  old  Italian  rigolo,  a  small 

wheel. 

42.  Immediate.  Next  in  place.  Cf.  v.  2.  71  below.  See  also 
Ham.  i.  2.  109:  "You  are  the  most  immediate  to  our  throne." 

64.    Part.     "Characteristic  action"  (Schmidt). 

71.  Eugross'ii.  Amassed.  Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.m.  z.  i\^:  "To  en- 
gross up  glorious  deeds  on  my  behalf." 

72.  Strange-achieved.  "  Gained  and  yet  not  enjoyed  "  (Schmidt). 
The  hyphen  is  in  the  folio.  Strange-achieved  ma.y  be  =  gained  in 
foreign  lands.  In  canker'd  the  metaphor  is  taken  from  rust  or 
corrosion,  and  perhaps  suggests  the  idea  of  disuse,  like  that  of  the 
miser.     Some  make  it  =  polluted. 

76.  Virtuous.  Powerful  (Schmidt) ;  or  perhaps  =  characteris- 
tic. Cf.  M.  N.  D.  iii.  2.  367 :  "  Whose  hquor  hath  this  virtuous 
property,"  etc. 

79.  Murthered.     The  folio  reading  ;   not  "  murther'd." 

80.  Yield  his  engrossments.     Do  his  accumulations  yield. 

82.  Determined.  Put  an  end  to.  Cf.  the  intransitive  use  (=  end) 
in  Cor.  iii.  3.  43,  v.  3.  120,  etc. 

84.  Kindly.  Natural,  "not  feigned"  (Schmidt).  Cf.  Much 
Ado,  iv.  I.  75  :   "fatherly  and  kindly  power,"  etc. 

87.   By.     As  a  consequence  of. 

91.    Depart  the  chamber.     Cf.  Lear,  iii.  5.  I  :   "ere  I  depart  his 

house,"  etc. 

94.   By  thee.     "  In  thy  opinion  "  (Schmidt) ;   but  by  may  be  = 

near  or  with. 

104,    SeaPd  up.     Confirmed    fully.     The    up   has   an   intensive 

force,  as  often. 

108.    Which  thou  hast  whetted,  etc.     Cf.  M.  of  V.  iv.  I.  123  :  — 

"  Not  on  thy  sole,  but  on  thy  soul,  harsh  Jew, 
Thou  mak'st  thy  knife  keen." 

115.   Balm.     Referring  to  the   anointing-oil  used  in  the    cere- 


238 


Notes  [Act  IV 


niony  of  coronation.     Cf.  lien.    V,  iv.    I.   277:    "The  balm,  the 
sceptre,"  etc. 

129.  Gild  his  treble  guilt.  Pope  omitted  this  line,  ami  Warlnir- 
ton  declared  it  to  be  "  evidently  the  nonsense  of  some  fot)lish 
player;"  but  compare  Rich.  II.  ii.  I.  73  fol.  where  tlie  dying 
Gaunt  plays  upon  his  name:  "Old  Gaunt  indeed,  and  gaunt 
in  being  old,"  etc.  King  Richard  asks,  "  Can  sick  men  play  so 
nicely  with  their  names  ? "  and  Coleridge  answers  the  question 
thus :  "  Ves  !  on  a  death-bed  there  is  a  feeling  which  may  make  all 
things  appear  but  as  puns  and  equivocations.  And  a  passion  there 
is  that  carries  off  its  own  excess  by  plays  on  words  as  naturally,  and, 
therefore,  as  appropriately  to  drama,  as  by  gesticulations,  looks,  or 
tones.  This  belongs  to  human  nature  as  such,  independently  of 
associations  and  habits  from  any  particular  rank  of  life  or  mode 
of  employment ;  and  in  this  consists  Shakespeare's  vulgarisms,  as 
in  Macbeth's  'The  devil  damn  thee  black,  thou  cream-fac'd  loon  ! ' 
etc.  This  is  (to  equivocate  on  Dante's  words)  in  truth  the  nobile 
volgare  eloquenza.  Indeed,  it  is  profoundly  true  that  there  is  a 
natural,  an  almost  irresistible,  tendency  in  the  mind,  when  im 
mersed  in  one  strong  feeling,  to  coimect  that  feeling  with  every 
sight  and  object  around  it;  especially  if  there  be  opposition,  and 
the  words  addressed  to  it  are  in  any  way  repugnant  to  the  feeling 
itself,  as  here  in  the  instance  of  Richard's  unkind  language :  '  Misery 
makes  sport  to  mock  itself.' 

"No  doubt,  something  of  Shakespeare's  punning  must  be  attrib- 
uted to  his  age,  in  which  direct  and  formal  combats  of  wit  were  a 
favourite  pastime  of  the  courtly  and  accomplished.  It  was  an 
age  more  favourable,  upon  the  whole,  to  vigour  of  intellect  than  the 
present,  in  which  a  dread  of  being  thought  pedantic  dispirits  and 
flattens  the  energies  of  original  minds.  But  independently  of  this, 
I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  a  pun,  if  it  be  congruous  with 
the  feeling  of  the  scene,  is  not  only  allowable  in  the  dramatic  dia- 
logue, but  oftentimes  one  of  the  most  effectual  intensives  of  passion." 

For  the  play  on  guilt,  cf   Hen.    J\  ii.   chor.   26:    "the  gilt  of 


Scene  V]  Notes  239 

France  —  O  guilt  indeed!"     Malone  quotes  Nicholson,  Acolasius 
his  Afterioit,  1600 :  — 

"  O  sacred  thirst  of  golde,  what  canst  thou  not  ? 
Some  terms  \h&e.gylt,  that  every  soule  might  reade, 
Even  in  thy  name,  \hy  guilt  is  great  indeede." 

141.  Dear.  Earnest.  Cf.  T.  and  C.  v.  3.  9 :  "loud  and  clear 
petition,"  etc. 

145.  Affect.  Desire,  aspire  to.  Cf.  Cor.  iii.  3.  i :  "  affects  ty- 
rannical power ;  "  Id.  iv.  6.  32 :  "  affecting  one  sole  throne,"  etc. 

149.  Teacheth.  Prompts  me  to ;  this  prostrate  and  exterior 
bending  being  in  apposition  with  obedience,  which  is  =  obeisance 
(Mason). 

162.  Carat.  Here  used  in  the  modern  sense  as  expressing  the 
degree  of  fineness  in  the  gold;  but  in  the  only  other  instance  in 
which  it  occurs  in  S.  it  seems  to  express  absolute  weight.  See 
C.  of  E.  iv.  I.  28:  "How  much  your  chain  weighs  to  the  utmost 
carat." 

163.  Medicine  potable.  Alluding  to  the  auriini  potabile,  or  pota- 
ble gold,  of  the  alchemists.  Johnson  remarl^s :  "  There  has  long 
prevailed  an  opinion  that  a  solution  of  gold  has  great  medicinal 
virtues,  and  that  the  incorruptibility  of  gold  might  be  communicated 
to  the  body  impregnated  with  it."  Cf.  Chaucer,  C.  T.  443  :  "  For 
gold  in  phisik  is  a  cordial." 

186.    Met.     Got,  gained. 

194.    Assistances.     For  the  plural  see  on  iv.  i.  193  above, 

196.  Supposed.  That  is,  supposed  to  exist,  "  imaginary,  not  real  " 
(Johnson).  Fears  =  causes  or  objects  of  fear.  See  on  i.  i.  95 
aljove. 

200.  Mode.  "Th^for/n  or  state  of  things  "  (Johnson)  ;  the  only 
instance  of  the  word  in  S.  Purchased;  "  used  in  its  legal  sense, 
acquired  by  a  man's  cwn  act  (perquisitio)  as  opposed  to  an  acquisi- 
tion by  descent"  (Malone).     Cf.  A.  and  C.  i.  4.  14:  — 

"  hereditary, 
Rather  than  purchased." 


240  Notes  [Act  IV 

201.  More  fairer.     See  on  iii.  i.  28  above. 

202.  Successively.  "  By  order  of  succession.  Every  usurper 
snatches  a  claim  of  hereditary  right  as  soon  as  he  can"  (Johnson). 
Garland  =  crown  ;   as  in  v.  2.  84. 

204.  Griefs  are  green.  Grievances  are  fresh;  referring  to  the 
recent  rebellion.     Vor  griefs,  see  on  iv.  i.  69  above. 

205.  My  friends.  The  early  eds.  have  "  thy  friends."  The 
correction  was  suggested  by  Tyrwhitt.  Perhaps  Clarke  is  right  in 
retaining  the  old  reading.  "  By  the  first  thy  friends  the  king  means 
those  who  are  friendly  inclined  to  the  prince,  and  who,  he  goes  on 
to  say,  must  be  made  securely  friends." 

208.    By  whose  power.     This  of  course  modifies  displac'd. 

214.  Giddy.  "  Hot-brained,  excitable  "  (Schmidt)  ;  or,  perhaps, 
unsteady,  unsettled. 

2ig.  H01V  I  came  by  the  cro7vn,  &X.C.  "This  is  a  true  picture  of  a 
mind  divided  between  heaven  and  earth.  He  prays  for  the  pros- 
perity of  guilt  while  he  deprecates  its  punishment"  (Johnson). 

233.  Doth  any  na>?ie,  etc.  See  the  extract  from  Holinshed, 
p.  169  above.  Steevens  notes  that  a  similar  equivocal  prediction 
occurs  also  in  the  Cronykil  of  Androiv  of  Wyniown.  Pope 
Sylvester,  having  sold  himself  to  the  devil,  is  told  that  he  shall  live 
to  enjoy  his  honours  until  he  sees  Jerusalem.  Soon  afterwards  his 
duties  call  him  into  a  church  which  he  had  never  visited  before; 
and  on  his  inquiring  what  the  church  is  called,  he  is  told  that  it  is 
"  Jerusalem  in  Vy  Laterane."  Thereupon  the  prophecy  is  com- 
pleted by  his  death.  Boswell  adds  that  the  same  story  of  Pope 
Sylvester  is  told  in  Lodge's  Devil  Conjured,  where,  however,  his 
holiness  manages  to  outwit  the  devil. 

The  Jerusalem  Chamber,  which  adjoins  the  southwest  tower  of 
Westminster  Abbey,  was  built  by  Abbot  Littlington  between  1376 
and  1386  as  a  guest-chamber,  and  probably"derived  its  name  from 
the  tapestries  of  the  history  of  Jerusalem  with  which  it  was  after- 
wards hung.  Later  it  was  used  as  a  council-chamber  (see  p.  236 
above),  as  it  now  is  for  the  meetings  of  Convocation.     The  West- 


Scene  I]  Notes  241 

minster  Assembly  met  here  in  1643,  having  found  the  Chapel  of 
Henry  VII.  too  cold.  The  existing  decorations  of  the  room  are 
of  the  time  of  James  I.,  but  the  stained  glass  is  older. 


ACT  V 


Scene  I.  —  i.  By  cock  and  pie.  A  petty  oath  in  common  use 
in  the  time  of  S.  It  occurs  again  in  M.  W.  i.  i.  316.  Cock  is 
probably  a  corruption  of  God,  as  in  Cock's  passion  {T.  of  S.  iv.  I. 
121),  Cock's  body.  Cock's  ivoiinds,  and  many  similar  oaths  found  in 
the  plays  of  that  day.  The  pie  may  refer  to  the  Romish  service- 
book,  which  vk'as  sometimes  so  called  ;  the  word  being  more  prop- 
erly applied  to  a  table  or  index  in  the  book  for  finding  out  the 
service  to  be  read  upon  each  day.  In  the  preface  to  the  English 
Prayer-Book,  this  table  is  referred  to  as  follows :  "  Moreover  the 
number  and  hardness  of  the  rules  called  the  Fie  and  the  manifold 
changes,"  etc.  On  the  other  hand.  The  Cock  and  Pie  (with  pic- 
tures of  the  cock  and  the  magpie)  was  a  common  sign  for  taverns 
and  alehouses.  Blakeway  gives  an  engraving  of  one  at  Bewdley. 
Boswell  quotes  A  Caiechisine  by  George  Giffard,  1583,  which  seems 
to  show  that  cock  and  pie  referred  only  to  the  birds  or  to  the  tavern- 
sign  :  "  Men  suppose  that  they  do  not  offende  when  they  do  not 
sweare  falsly ;  and  because  they  will  not  take  the  name  of  God  to 
abuse  it,  they  sware  by  small  ihinges,  as  by  cocke  and  pye,  by  the 
mouse  foote,  and  many  other  suche  like."  Uouce  endeavours  to 
prove  that  the  oath  had  its  origin  in  the  grand  feasts  of  the  days 
of  chivalry,  when  a  xoz.'sXe.A  peacock  was  presented  to  each  knight, 
who  then  made  the  particular  vow  he  had  chosen.  When  this 
custom  had  fallen  into  disuse,  the  peacock  still  continued  to  be  a 
favourite  dish  at  the  feast,  and  was  served  up  in  2. pie.  "The  rec- 
ollection of  the  old  peacock  vows  might  occasion  the  less  serious, 
or  even  burlesque,  imitation  of  swearing  not  only  by  the  bird  itself, 
but  also  by  the  pie."     Even  if  the  oath  referred  at  first  to  God  and 

2   HENRY   IV —  16 


242  Notes  [Act  V 

the  service-book,  this  was  doubtless  forgotten  in  Shakespeare's 
time  (like  the  connection  of  i/iarry  !  with  the  Virgin  Mary),  and 
the  cock  and  the  pie  came  to  be  associated  in  the  popular  mind 
with  the  birds.  Not  a  few  such  "  illusive  etymologies  "  have  found 
pictorial  illustration  in  the  old  tavern-signs. 

II.  IVilliam  cook.  Cf.  i  lien.  IV.  ii.  I.  12:  "since  Robin 
ostler  died." 

14.  Precepts.  "Justice's  warrants"  (Johnson).  Cf.  Hen.  V. 
iii.  3.  26:  — 

"  As  send  precepts  to  the  leviathan 
To  come  ashore." 

17.  With  red  ivheat.  Vaughan  remarks:  "This  accords  with 
an  old  practice  of  sowing  a  later  wheat  on  the  headland  than  in 
the  rest  of  the  field,  because  the  headland,  being  used  for  turning 
the  plough,  naturally  came  into  condition  for  sowing  later  than  the 
rest  of  the  field.  It  is  still  common  in  some  parts  to  see  red  wheat 
—  that  is,  a  spring  wheat  —  on  the  headland,  together  with  white 
wheat — that  is,  winter  wheat  —  in  the  field," 

21.    Cast.     Computed.     Cf.  i.  i.  166  above. 

26.    Hinckley.     A  market-town  in  Leicestershire. 

29.  Kickshaws.  We  find  kickshawses  in  T.  N.  i.  3.  1 22,  the  only 
other  instance  of  the  word  in  S. 

31.  A  friend  /'  co7irt,  etc.  Malone  remarks  that  "A  friend  in 
court  is  worth  a  penny  in  purse  "  is  one  of  Camden's  proverbial 
sentences.     Dr.  Grey  cites  The  Romaunt  of  the  Rose,  5540:  — 

"  For  frende  in  courte  aie  better  is 
Than  peny  is  in  purse,  certis." 

37.  Well  conceited.  A  happy  conceit !  "  Justice  Shallow  ap- 
plauds his  servingman's  grinning  jest  with  the  same  expression  that 
Nym  uses  when  he  says,  '  Is  not  the  humour  conceited?'  in  M.  W. 
i.  3.  26"  (Clarke). 

40.  Woiicot.  Woodmancote  (still  pronounced  Woncot)  a  village 
in  Gloucestershire,  where  there  has  been  a  family  of  Visor  or  Vizard 


I 


Scene  II]  Notes  243 

since  the  time  of  S.  A  house  on  the  neighbouring  Stinchcombe 
Hill  (still  locally  known  as  the  Hill)  was  then  the  residence  of  a 
family  oi  Perkes  (Madden's  Diary  of  William  Silence). 

55.  He  shall  have  no  wrong.  A  fair  sample  of  the  course  of 
justice  in  that  day.  Blakeway  cites  a  speech  of  Sir  Nicholas 
Bacon,  in  parliament,  1559:  "Is  it  not  a  monstrous  disguising  to 
have  a  justice  a  maintainer,  acquitting  some  for  gain,  enditing 
others  for  malice,  bearing  with  him  as  his  servant,  overthrowing 
the  other  as  his  enemy?"  A  member  of  the  House  of  Commons 
in  1601  defined  a  "justice  of  the  peace"  as  a  creature  that  "for 
half  a  dozen  chickens  will  dispense  with  half  a  dozen  penal 
statutes." 

61.    Tall.     A  joke  of  Shallow's.     See  on  iii.  2.  60  above. 

66.  Quantities.  That  is,  i-wr?// pieces  ;  as  in  T.  of  S.  iv.  3.  112 
and  K.  John,  v.  4.  23. 

68.  Semblable.  Similar ;  used  as  a  noun  in  Ham.  v.  2.  124  and 
T.  of  A.  iv.  3.  22. 

74.    Consent.     Agreement,  accord. 

76.  Near  their  master.  That  is,  being  intimate  with  him,  having 
influence  with  him. 

77.  Curry  with.  That  is,  "  curry  favour  with  him,"  flatter  him. 
S.  uses  the  expression  nowhere  else. 

84.  Terms.  Cf.  A.  Y.  L.  iii.  2.350:  "  \Yith  lawyers  in  the 
vacation  ;  for  they  sleep  between  term  and  term,"  etc.  On  actions 
Johnson  remarks :  "  There  is  something  humorous  in  making  a 
spendthrift  compute  time  by  the  operation  of  an  action  for  debt."' 
Intervallums  is  a  jocose  appropriation  of  the  Latin  word  inter- 
vallum,  interval. 

86.  Sad.  Sober,  serious.  Cf.  Much  Ado,  i.  i.  185:  "Speak 
you  this  with  a  sad  brow  ?  " 

Scene  II.  —  3.  Exceeding  well.  On  well  as  used  of  the  dead, 
cf.  R.  and  J.  iv.  5.  72,  v.  I.  17,  Macb.  iv.  3.  179,  A.  and  C.  ii.  5.  33, 
etc.     Exceeding  is  often  used  adverbially. 


244  Notes  [Act  V 

13.  Fantasy.  Fancy,  imagination.  Cf.  i  Hen.  IV.  v.  4.  138: 
"  Or  is  it  fantasy  that  plays  upon  our  eyesight  ?  " 

16.    Of  him,  the  ivorst.     Of  the  worst,  whichever  it  might  be. 

31.  Coldest.  Most  disagreeable  or  unwelcome.  Cf.  3  lien.  VI. 
iii.  2.  133:  "A  cold  premeditation  for  my  purpose!"  etc.  Expec- 
tation is  metrically  five  syllables. 

33.  Speak  Sir  John  Falstaff  fair.  Cf.  M.N.D.  ii.  i.  199:  "Do 
I  entice  you  ?  do  I  speak  you  fair  ?  " 

34.  Swims  against  yotir  stream.  A  metaphor  equivalent  to 
"  goes  against  your  grain." 

38.  Ragged.  Beggarly,  wretched.  ForestaWd  remission  —  a 
pardon  that  is  sure  not  to  be  granted,  the  case  having  been  pre- 
judged. Malone  says :  "  I  believe  forestalPd  only  means  asked 
before  it  is  granted.  If  he  w-ill  grant  me  pardon  unasked,  so  ;  if 
not,  I  will  not  condescend  to  solicit  it." 

48.  A^ot  Ainurath,  etc.  Amurath  the  Third,  who  became  Sultan 
in  1574,  had  his  five  brothers  strangled  on  the  day  of  his  accession 
to  the  throne  ;  and  his  son  Mohammed  III.  followed  the  paternal 
example  in  1595,  only  a  few  years  before  the  play  was  written. 

50.  By  my  faith.  Altered  in  the  folio  to  "  to  speak  truth,"  like 
so  many  other  expressions  which  the  Master  of  the  Revels  doubt- 
less considered  profane.     See  on  ii.  2.  i  above. 

61.  By  7iumber.     That  is,  as  many  hours  as  tears. 

62.  No  other.     Nothing  else  ;    as  in  Macb.  v.  4.  8  :  — 

"  We  learn  no  other  but  the  confident  tyrant 
Keeps  still  in  Dunsinane,"  etc. 

71.  Easy.  That  is,  easy  to  be  borne  ;  as  in  K.  John,  iii.  i,  207, 
etc. 

72.  Lethe.  For  the  poet's  allusions  to  tke  old  mythical  river  of 
oblivion,  cf.  T.  N.  iv.  i.  66,  Rich.  III.  iv.  4.  250,  and  A.  and  C. 
ii.  7.  114. 

79.  Presented.  Represented.  Cf.  Temp.  iv.  i.  167:  "When  I 
presented  Ceres,"  etc. 


Scene  II]  Notes  245 

80.  And  struck  me,  etc.  See  extract  from  Holinshed,  p.  169 
above. 

84.  Garland.  Crown  ;  as  in  iv.  5.  202  above.  Cf.  Rich.  III. 
iii.  2.  40:  "Till  Richard  wear  the  garland  of  the  realm"  (note  the 
next  line).  Hohnshed  uses  the  word  in  this  sense.  See  p.  168 
above. 

86.  Aivfid.     Cf.  iv.  i.  176  above. 

87.  To  trip  the  co2crse  of  law.     To  defeat  the  process  of  justice. 
90.    And  mock,  etc.     "  To  treat  with  contempt  your  acts  executed 

by  a  representative"  (Johnson). 

92.  Propose.  Suppose,  imagine,  picture  to  yourself;  as  in  T. 
and  C.  ii.  2.  146,  etc. 

96.  Taking  your  part.     Acting  in  your  behalf. 

97.  Soft  silencing.  Mildly  restraining.  Perhaps  Theobald  was 
right  in  changing  soft  to  "  so."  According  to  the  king  (see  70 
above),  the  justice's  treatment  of  him  had  not  been  soft. 

98.  Cold  considerance.  Calm  or  dispassionate  reflection.  S.  uses 
considerance  only  here. 

99.  Speak  in  your  state.  Say,  "  in  your  regal  character  and 
office,  not  with  the  passion  of  a  man  interested,  but  with  the  im- 
partiality of  a  legislator  "  (Johnson). 

109.  Proper.  Own;  as  in  Temp.  iii.  3.  60:  "their  proper 
selves,"  etc. 

113.  For  which  I  do  commit,  etc.  Verplanck  remarks:  "The 
reader  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  present  tenure  of  office  for  life 
by  the  English  judges  is  but  modern  ;  and  that,  under  the  Piantage- 
nets  and  Tudors,  a  Chief-Justice  might  be  removed  like  any  other 
officer  of  the  crown.  Henry's  voluntary  retaining  the  Chief-Justice 
in  his  high  station  is,  therefore,  a  manly  acknowledgment  of  his 
own  error,  and  a  magnanimous  tribute  to  the  uprightness  of  the 
magistrate.  The  story  of  the  Prince's  insolence,  and  his  commit- 
ment to  prison,  is  strictly  historical,  being  related  briefly  by  Hall 
and  Holinshed,  and  more  minutely  by  Sir  Thomas  Elyot,  in  his 
book  of  political  ethics  entitled  I'he  Governour.     But  these  are  all 


246 


Notes  [Act  V 


silent  as  to  Henry  V.'s  after-treatment  of  the  Chief-Justice,  or  the 
latter's  being  continued  in  office  after  the  accession  of  Henry  V. 
Several  of  the  Shakespearian  historical  critics,  as  Sir  John  Hawkins, 
Malone,  and  Steevens,  in  the  last  century,  and  very  lately  Tytler 
and  Courtenay,  deny  the  fact  itself,  and  some  of  them  in  a  tone  of 
rebuke  for  the  '  author's  deviation  from  history.'  I  should  be  sorry 
to  lose  a  noble  example  of  moderation  ami  magnanimity,  in  the 
exercise  of  political  patronage,  from  history  ;  but  if  those  comments 
are  correct,  Shakespeare  deserves  the  higher  honour  of  not  having 
merely  adopted  and  beautifully  enforced,  but  having  invented  the 
striking  incident,  embodying  a  noble  lesson  of  political  ethics, 
which  in  our  own  days  even  republican  rulers  may  profit  by.  I  in- 
cline to  the  opinion  that  the  PInglish  commentators  are  in  error  as 
to  the  fact,  and  that  the  poet  has  merely  decorated  and  enforced 
the  truth,  which  probably  came  down  to  him  by  popular  and  general 
tradition,  as  a  plain  fact,  to  which  he  has  given  the  impressive 
weight  of  moral  instruction. 

"Hawkins  asserts  that  the  poet  'has  deviated  from  historical 
truth  by  bringing  the  Chief-Justice  and  Henry  IV.  together,'  as 
it  is  expressly  said  by  Fuller,  in  his  Worthies  of  Yorkshire,  that 
Gascoigne  died  in  the  lifetime  of  Henry  IV.  (viz.  1st  Nov.  141 2). 
Malone  also  mentions  Shakespeare's  'anachronism,'  on  the  au- 
thority of  a  transcript  (in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine)  of  the 
inscription  on  the  Chief-Justice's  tomb,  '  once  legible,'  which  re- 
cords his  death  as  '  17  Deer.  A7in.  Dom.  141 2.'  Steevens,  I  know 
not  on  what  authority,  places  his  death  13th  Dec.  1413.  Henry 
IV.  died  March  20,  1413.  The  discrepancy  of  these  dates  would 
throw  some  doubt  on  any  one  of  them,  or  all  of  them,  were  there 
no  contradiction  as  to  the  year.  But  they  are  all  overthrown  by  a 
recent  discovery  by  Mr.  Tytler  of  the  record  of  Sir  William  Gas- 
coigne's  will,  bearing  date  20th  March,  1419,  showing  that  there 
must  have  been  some  error  of  the  press  or  of  a  copyist  in  the  dates 
before  mentioned.  But  Tytler  and  Courtenay  say  that  Gascoigne 
was  left  out  of  office  at  Henry  V.'s  accession,  which  is  still  less  to 


Scene  II]  Notes  247 

the  royal  honour,  and  perhaps  more  to  the  poet's.  Yet  old  Stowe, 
the  most  accurate  of  chroniclers,  says,  '  William  Gascoigne  was 
Chief- Justice  of  the  King's  Bench  from  the  sixt  of  Henry  IV.  to 
the  third  Henry  V.' 

"  Stowe's  authority  may  be  fortified  by  an  American  author,  who 
must  have  little  thought,  in  preparing  his  curious  and  interesting 
volume,  of  being  quoted  by  a  Shakespearian  annotator.  The 
Judicial  Chronicle  (Cambridge,  Mass.,  1834),  by  George  Gibbs, 
of  New  York,  is  a  most  exact  chronological  list  of  the  judges  of 
the  higher  courts  of  England  and  America,  from  the  earliest 
periods  ;  the  lists  of  the  earlier  English  judges  being  compiled 
from  Dugdale,  Beatson,  and  Woolrycke.  In  that  list  Gascoigne 
is  recorded  to  have  '  died  or  retired  in  1414,  the  second  year  of 
Henry  V.  ;'  and  the  same  date  is  given  for  the  appointment  of  his 
successor,  Hankford.  Upon  these  statements,  the  more  probable 
conclusion  would  seem  to  be  that  Gascoigne  must  have  been  re- 
tained in  office  during  the  first  two  years  of  Henry  V.,  or,  as  Stowe 
says,  'to  the  third  year  of  Henry  V.';  and  that  his  retirement  was 
then  voluntary." 

It  is  now,  however,  well  established  that  Gascoigne  resigned  or 
was  removed  soon  after  the  accession  of  Henry  V.,  as  his  successor. 
Sir  William  Hankford,  was  appointed  March  29,  14 13. 

115.  Remembrance.      Reminder,  admonition. 

116.  The  like.  The  same  ;  followed  by  as,  as  in  Rich.  III.  iv. 
1.9:  "  Upon  the  like  devotion  as  yourselves,"  etc. 

123.  My  father  is  gone  unld,  etc.  "My  wild  dispositions  hav- 
ing ceased  on  my  father's  death,  and  being  now  as  it  were  buried 
in  his  tomb,  he  and  wildness  are  interred  in  the  same  grave" 
(Malone).     Cf.  Hen.  V.  i.  i.  25  :  — 

"  The  breath  no  sooner  left  his  father's  body 
But  that  his  wildness,  mortified  in  him, 
Seem'd  to  die  too." 
125.    Sadly.     Soberly  ;   as  opposed  to  wild  (Johnson).     Cf  sad 
in  V.  I.  86  above. 


248  Notes  [Act  V 

128.  Who.  Often  equivalent  to  w/^zV/5,  especially  in  personifica- 
tions.    Rotten  —  unsound,  false. 

129.  After  my  seeming.     According  to  what  I  appeared  to  be. 

132.  The  state  of  JlooJs.  "The  majestic  dignity  of  the  ocean" 
(Malone). 

133.  Formal.  "Grave,  dignified"  (Schmidt);  as  in/.  C.  ii.  I. 
227  :  "  formal  constancy." 

141.  Accite.     Summon.     See  on  ii.  2.  54  above. 

142.  Remembered.  Called  to  mind,  mentioned.  Cf.  Temp.  i.  2. 
405 :  "The  ditty  does  remember  my  drown'd  father,"  etc. 

143.  Consigning  to.  Setting  his  seal  to,  confirming.  See  on  iv. 
I.  175  above.  In  Cytnb.  iv.  2.  275,  consign  to  —  come  to  the  same 
state,  submit  to  the  same  terms ;  and  Schmidt  explains  it  here  as 
=  "  agree,  come  to  the  same  terms." 

Scene  III. —  i.    Orchard.     Garden;  as  elsewhere  in  S. 

3.  Graffing.  Grafting;  as  in/i.  Y.  L.  iii.  2.  124.  Cf.  engraved 
in  ii.  2.  57  above. 

Caraways.  Goldsmith  thought  that  apples  of  that  name  were 
meant;  but  the  best  critics  agree  that  the  reference  is  to  caraway 
seeds,  or  some  confection  containing  them.  Malone  quotes  Florio's 
Second  Frutes,  1591,  where,  after  a  dinner,  a  servant  is  ordered  to 
bring  in  "  apples,  pears,  .  .  .  some  bisket,  and  carrawaies,  with 
other  comfects;"  s\?,o  the  h\SiC\fi-\et\.e.x  Booke  of  Carvyng :  "Serve 
after  meat,  peres,  nuts,  strawberies,  hurtleberies  and  hard  cheese : 
also  blaiidrels  or  pipins,  with  caraway  in  cofects."  Steevens  adds 
from  Cogan's  Haven  of  Health,  1595:  "  Howbeit  we  are  wont  to 
eate  carawaies  or  biskets,  or  some  other  kind  of  comfits  or  seedes 
together  with  apples,  thereby  to  breake  winde  ingendred  by  them : 
and  surely  it  is  a  very  good  way  for  students^' 

II.  Husband.  An  old  form  of  husbandman,  which  is  substi- 
tuted in  the  3d  folio.     Cf.  Spenser,  F.  Q.  iv.  3.  29 :  — 

"  Like  as  a  withered  tree,  through  husband's  toyle, 
Is  often  scene  full  freshly  to  have  flourisht, 


Scene  III]  Notes  249 

And  fruitful!  apples  to  have  borne  awhile, 

As  fresh  as  when  it  first  was  planted  in  the  soyle ;  " 

and  Mother  Htibberds  Tale,  266 :  "  For  husbands  life  is  labourous 
and  hard." 

14.  At  Slipper.  As  Clarke  notes,  this  shows  that  the  pippins 
and  caraways  formed  the  meal  called  an  after-supper.  See  on  ii. 
4.  12  above. 

22.    Ever  atnojig.     An  old  expression  =  "ever  and  anon." 

28.  Preface.  "An  Anglicized  form  of  the  Italian /;•()  vi  faccia  ; 
which  Florio  renders  'Much  good  may  it  do  you!'"  (Clarke). 
Steevens  quotes  Taylor  the  Water  Poet,  in  the  preface  to  his 
Praise  of  Hempseed  :  "A  preamble,  preatrot,  preagallop,  preapace, 
or  preface;  and  preface,  my  masters,  if  your  stomach  serve;" 
and  Springes  for  Woodcocks,  1 606:  "  Proface,  quoth  Fulvius,  fill 
us  t'  other  quart."     Cf.   the   German  prosit. 

29.  The  heart's  all.  "That  is,  the  intention  with  which  the 
entertainment  is  given.  The  humour  consists  in  making  Davy 
act  as  master  of  the  house  "  (Johnson). 

32.  My  wife  has  all,  Boswell  remarks  that  "  has  all  is  a  good 
introduction  to  what  follows  ;  it  is  a  proof  that  she  is  a  shrew." 

34.  '7"  is  merry  in  hall  ivhen  beards  wag  all.  A  very  old  prov- 
erb, as  might  be  shown  by  sundry  quotations. 

35.  Shrove-tide.  A  time  of  special  merriment,  as  the  close  of 
the  carnival  season. 

41.    Leather-coats.     A  kind  of  russet  apple. 

46.  Leman.  Sweetheart.  Cf.  T.  N.  ii.  3.  26.  In  M.  IV.  iv.  2. 
172,  it  is  masculine  (=  paramour). 

49.  The  szveet  <?'  the  night.  Cf.  W.  T.  iv.  2>-  li'-  "  ^^^  sweet  o' 
the  year."     See  also  ii.  4.  346  above. 

53.   A  mile  to  the  bottom.     Though  the  cup  were  as  deep  as  that. 

55.    Beshrew  your  heart.     See  on  ii.  3.  45  above. 

58.  Cavaleros.  Cavaliers,  dashing  fellows.  Cf.  M.  IV.  ii.  3.  77 : 
"  Cavalero  Slender." 


250  Notes  [Act  V 

59.  Once.  Perhaps  =  some  time.  Cf.  M.  W.  iii.  4.  103 :  "  I 
pray  thee,  once  to-night  give  my  sweet  Nan  this  ring." 

63.  Pottle-pot.     A  tanl<ar(l,  hukling  a /()//'/<',  or  two  quarts. 

64.  By  God's  liggens.  y\.n  oath  of  Shallow's  own  making; 
omitted  of  course  in  the  folio. 

66.  Will  not  out.  Will  not  fail  you  ;  a  sportsman's  expression. 
Staunton  quotes  Turbervile,  Booke  of  Hunting :  "If  they  run  it 
endways  orderly  and  make  it  good,  then  when  they  hold  in  to- 
gether merrily,  we  say,  They  are  in  crie."  Cf.  A.  and  C.  ii.  7.  36 : 
"I  am  not  so  well  as  I  should  be,  but  I  '11  ne'er  out." 

72.  Do  me  right.  A  common  expression  in  drinking  healths. 
Steevens  cites  Massinger,  The  Bondman:  — 

"  These  glasses  contain  nothing.     Do  me  right, 
As  ere  you  hope  for  liberty." 

73.  And  dub  me  knight.  It  was  a  custom  in  the  time  of  S.  to 
drink  a  mighty  bumper  kneeling,  to  the  health  of  one's  mistress. 
He  who  performed  this  exploit  was  dubbed  2.  knight  for  the  evening. 
Cf.  The  Yorkshire  Tragedy,  1608:  "They  call  it  knighting  in  Lon- 
don when  they  drink  upon  their  knees.  Come  follow  me  ;  I  '11 
give  you  all  the  degrees  of  it  in  order." 

74.  Samingo.  A  boozy  abbreviation  of  "  San  Domingo,"  which 
was  a  common  burden  of  drinking-songs.  Steevens  quotes  Nash's 
Summer's  Last  I Vi II  and  Testament,  1 600:  — 

"  Monsieur  Mingo  for  quaffing  doth  surpass 
In  cup,  in  can,  or  glass; 
God  Bacchus,  do  me  right, 
And  dub  me  knight, 
Domingo." 

88.  Bztt.  Except.  Some,  however,  point*  thus :  "  I  think  a' 
be;   but  goodman  Puff  of  Barson  —  " 

89.  Barson  is  a  corruption  of  Barcheston  (locally  pronounced 
and  sometimes  written  Barson),  a  village  not  far  from  Stratford- 
on-.'Vvon  (French). 


Scene  IV]  Notes  25 1 

98.  ~Foutra.     A  vulgar  expression  of  contempt. 

100,  O  base  Assyrian  knighl,  etc.  Falstaff,  finding  it  impossible 
to  make  Pistol  talk  "  like  a  man  of  this  world,"  humours  him  by 
adopting  his  bombastic  style. 

loi.  King  Cophetua.  The  ballad  of  King  Copheiua  aiid  the 
Beggar  may  be  found  in  Percy's  Reliques.  Cf.  L.  L.  L.  iv.  i.  66 
and  R.  and  J.  ii.  i.  14. 

102.  And  Robin  Hood,  etc.  From  one  of  the  old  Robin  Hood 
ballads. 

106.  I  knotv  not  your  breeding.  Schmidt  and  others  make  breed- 
ing ^  "  desc&nt,  extraction;"  but  I  think  the  meaning  may  be, 
"  I  don't  understand  your  manners."  Shallow  seems  to  be  mysti- 
fied by  Pistol's  impudence  and  rant. 

113.  Bezonian.  A  base  fellow,  or  beggar.  Cf.  2  lien.  VI.  iv.  I. 
134  :  "Great  men  oft  die  by  vile  bezonians."  It  is  derived  from 
the  Italian  bisogno,  need.  Steevens  quotes  Nash,  Pierce  Pennilesse, 
1595  :  "Proud  lordes  do  tumble  from  the  towers  of  their  high 
descents  and  be  trod  under  feet  of  every  inferior  Besonian  ;  "  and 
Chapman,  The  Widow'' s  Tears:  "  like  abase  Besogno."  The  editors 
generally  print  the  word  with  a  capital,  as  if  it  were  a  proper  noun. 

118.  Fig  ?ne.  "To  Jig,  in  Spanish  higas  dar,  is  to  insult  by  put- 
ting the  thumb  between  the  fore  and  middle  finger  "  (Johnson). 

121.  As  nail  in  door.  "This  proverbial  expression  is  oftener 
used  than  understood.  The  door  nail  is  the  nail  on  which  in 
ancient  doors  the  knocker  strikes.  It  is  therefore  used  as  a  com- 
parison to  any  one  irrecoverably  dead,  one  who  has  fallen  (as  Virgil 
says)  multa  morte,  that  is,  with  abundant  death,  such  as  iteration 
of  strokes  on  the  head  would  naturally  produce  "  (Steevens). 

141.  Where  is  the  life,  etc.  From  an  old  ballad,  quoted  also  in 
T.  of  S.  w.i.  143. 

Scene  IV.  —  Enter  Beadles.  The  quarto  has  "  Enter  Sincklo  and 
three  or  four  officers."  Sincklo  was  the  actor  who  played  the  first 
Beadle.     In  the  folio  the  name  appears  again  at  the  beginning  of 


252  Notes  [Act  V 

a  speech  in  T.  of  S.  ind.  i.  88.  In  3  Hen.  VI.  iii.  i,  we  find  the 
stage-direction  ''  Enter  Siuklo,  and  llumfrey,  with  erosse-boives  in 
their  hands  ■  "  and  "  Sin/c,"  "  Sinklo,"  or  «  Sin."  is  prefixed  to  the 
speeches  of  the  1st  Keeper  that  follow.  This  actor  belonged  to 
Shakespeare's  company. 

5.    Whipping-cheer.     Whipping  as  her  cheer,  or  fare.     Steevens 
quotes  an  old  ballad  :  — 

"  And  if  he  chance  to  scape  the  rope, 
He  shall  liave  whipping-cheer." 

Cf.  wedding-cheer  in  T.  of  S.  iii.  2.  188  and  R.  and  J.  iv.  5.  87. 

8.  Nut-hook.  "  A  name  of  reproach  for  a  catchpole"  (Johnson). 
Cf.  M.  W.  i.  I.  171  :  "if  you  run  the  nut-hook's  humour  on  me." 
As  we  have  seen  in  ii.  4  above,  Doll  has  a  copious  vocabulary  of 
abusive  epithets  at  command. 

15.  Thin  man  in  a  censer.  The  old  censers  of  thin  metal  had 
often  a  rudely  hammered  or  embossed  figure  in  the  middle  of  the 
pierced  convex  lid.  These  censers  were  used  for  burning  perfumes 
in  dwelling-houses,  which  often  needed  such  sweetening  in  those 
unsavoury  times.     Cf.  Much  Ado,  i.  3.  61. 

16.  Blue-bottle  rogue.  Alluding  to  the  colour  of  the  beadle's 
livery  (Johnson). 

17.  Correctioner.     A  word  found  nowhere  else  in  S. 

18.  Halfkirtles.     See  on  ii.  4.  250  above. 

2\.  Sufferance.  Suffering.  Cf./.  C  ii.  1. 115  :  "The  sufferance 
of  our  souls,"  etc. 

26.  Atomy.  The  quarto  reading;  the  folio  has  "anatomy," 
which  (=  skeleton,  as  in  K.  John,  iii.  4.  40)  is  what  Mistress 
Quickly  means. 

27.  Rascal  Used  with  a  reference  to  its  original  sense  of  a  lean 
deer.     See  on  ii.  4.  39  above. 

Scene  V.  —  i.  Rushes.  For  strewing  the  path  of  the  royal  pro- 
cession. For  their  use  on  floors,  cf.  R.  and  J.  i.  4.  36,  Cy7nb.  ii.  2. 
13,  etc. 


Scene  V]  Notes  -253 

12.    The  thousand  pound  I  borroTved,     See  on  iii.  2.  337  above. 

14.    Infer.     Suggest,  show. 

24.    Stained zaith  ij-avel.     Cf.  I  Hen.  IV.  i.  I.  64  :  — 

"  Stain'd  with  the  variation  of  each  soil 
Betwixt  that  Holmedon  and  this  seat  of  ours." 

28.  'Tis  semper  idem,  etc.  "Pistol  uses  a  Latin  expression, 
'  Ever  the  same,  for  without  this  there  is  nothing,'  and  then  goes  on 
to  allude  to  an  English  proverbial  phrase,  'AH  in  all,  and  all  in 
every  part,'  which  he  seems  to  give  as  its  free  rendering  "  (Clarke). 
See  on  ii.  4.  160  above. 

Verplanck  remarks  :  "  I  do  not  find  that  any  of  the  English  critics 
have  explained  this  sudden  burst  of  learning  in  Ancient  Pistol, 
though  they  note  that  the  '  all  in  every  part '  is  an  old  phrase  of 
metaphysical  poetry,  and  applied  to  the  soul  by  Sir  John  Davies 
and  Drayton.  In  the  absence  of  authority,  I  take  them  all  to  be 
heraldic  devices,  then  familiar  (as  the  '  semper  idem  '  certainly  was), 
such  as  Pistol  would  be  likely  to  have  observed,  as  well  as  Shake- 
speare's audiences,  in  the  pageants  and  processions  of  the  day ; 
and  they  are  jumbled  together  quite  in  Pistol's  vein,  to  the  great 
edification  of  Justice  Shallow." 

31.    liT'er.     See  on  i.  2.  177  and  iv.  3.  1 02  above. 

35.  IlaVd.  Dragged.  Cf.  T.  N.  iii.  2.  64,  Much  Ado,  ii.  3. 
62,  etc. 

37.   Alectd's.     The  only  mention  of  the  Fury  by  name  in  S. 

42.  Itnp.  Youngling  (used  only  by  Armado,  Holofernes,  and 
Pistol).  See  Z.  Z.  Z.  i.  2.  5,  v.  2.  592,  and  Hen.  V.  iv.  i.  45. 
Holinshed  speaks  of  "  Prince  Edward,  that  goodlie  impe,"  and 
Churchyard  calls  Edward  VI.  "  that  impe  of  grace."  Fulwell, 
addressing  Anne  Boleyn,  refers  to  Elizabeth  as  "  thy  royal  impe." 

52.   Hence.      Henceforth  ;   as  in  Z.  Z.  Z.  v.  2.  826  and  Otii.  iii. 

3-  379- 

55.  Reply  not,  etc.  "  We  see  by  this  that  there  was  a  light  in 
Falstaff' s  eye,  a  play  of  his  Hp  that  betokened  some  repartee  as  to 


254  Notes  [Act  V 

wherefore  the  grave  should  naturally  gape  wider  for  him  than  for 
other  and  slenderer  men;  anil  the  king,  knowing  of  old  that  once 
let  Falstaff  retort  and  he  is  silenced,  forestalls  the  intended  reply 
by  forbidding  and  condemning  it  beforehand"  (Clarke).  Warbur- 
ton  remarks  :  "  Nature  is  highly  touched  in  this  passage.  The 
king,  having  shaken  off  his  vanities,  schools  his  old  companion  for 
his  follies  with  great  severity  :  he  assumes  the  air  of  a  preacher, 
bids  him  fall  to  his  prayers,  seek  grace,  and  leave  gormandizing. 
But  that  word  unluckily  presenting  him  with  a  pleasant  idea,  he 
cannot  forbear  pursuing  it  —  '  Know,  the  grave  doth  gape  for  thee 
thrice  wider,'  etc.  —  and  is  just  falling  l^ack  into  Hal,  by  a  humor- 
ous allusion  to  Falstaff 's  bulk.  But  he  perceives  it  immediately, 
and  fearing  Sir  John  should  take  the  advantage  of  it,  checks  both 
himself  and  the  knight  with  '  Reply  not  to  me  with  a  fool-born 
jest  ;  '  and  so  resumes  the  thread  of  his  discourse,  and  goes  moral- 
izing on  to  the  end  of  the  chapter.  Thus  the  poet  copies  nature 
with  great  skill,  and  shows  us  how  apt  men  are  to  fall  back  into 
their  old  customs,  when  the  change  is  not  made  by  degrees  and 
brought  into  a  habit,  but  determined  of  at  once,  on  the  motives  of 
honour,  interest,  or  reason." 

65.    Ten  mile.     See  on  a  thousand  pound,  i.  2.  227  above. 

72.    Set  on.     Go  on.     See  on  i.  3.  109  above. 

86.  Colour.  Pretence  ;  as  in  i.  2.  247  above.  According  to 
Schmidt,  there  is  a  play  on  collar  in  the  reply  ;  and  there  seems  to 
be  one  also  on  die  and  dye. 

89.    Fear  no  colours.     Do  not  fear  ;   originally  =  fear  no  enemy. 

91.  Soon  at  night.  This  very  night.  Cf.  M.  W.  i.  4.  8,  ii.  2. 
295,  298,  M.for  M.  i.  4.  88,  etc. 

92.  To  the  Fleet.  That  is,  to  the  Fleet  Prison.  This  is  evi- 
dently the  Justice's  sentence,  and  he  should  be- held  responsible  for 
it,  not  the  King,  who  has  left  the  stage,  and  who  had  simply  ordered 
that  Falstaff  should  not  come  near  him  "  by  ten  mile."  He  had, 
moreover,  promised  that  the  knight  should  have  "  competence  of 
life,"  and  had  even  held  out  the  hope  of  "  advancement "  in  case 


Scene  V]  Notes  255 

he  should  reform.  The  Chief- Justice,  looking  at  the  matter  from  a 
judicial  point  of  view,  naturally  felt  that  the  fat  old  reprobate  had 
been  let  off  too  easily,  and  took  the  responsibility  of  punishing  him 
more  according  to  his  deserts.  The  king,  whom  the  critics  gen- 
erally have  been  disposed  to  blame  here,  doubtless  reversed  the 
hard  sentence  afterwards  ;  for  we  find  Falstaff  and  his  friends  all 
at  liberty  in  the  opening  scenes  of  Henry  V.  Sir  John,  however, 
does  not  rally  from  the  disappointment  he  has  met  in  being  turned 
away  by  his  "  royal  Hal."  His  heart,  as  Pistol  expresses  it,  "  is 
fracted  and  corroborate  ;  "  but  it  is  a  comfort  to  know  that  he  dies 
in  his  old  quarters  at  the  Boar's  Head,  with  his  faithful  old  friend 
Dame  Quickly  to  care  for  him  in  his  last  hours,  and  not  in  the 
Fleet  Prison.  If  the  reader  is  not  familiar  with  the  topography  of 
London  in  the  olden  time,  he  may  not  know  that  this  prison,  like 
Fleet  Street,  takes  its  name  from  the  Fleet  River,  which  used  to 
flow  through  the  valley  now  bridged  by  the  Holborn  Viaduct,  turn- 
ing the  mills  which  gave  a  name  to  Turnmill  Street  (see  on  iii.  2. 
315  above).  The  prison  (demolished  in  1844)  had  a  gate  on  the 
Fleet,  like  the  Traitor's  Gate  of  the  Tower  upon  the  Thames.  It 
was  first  used  for  those  who  were  condemned  by  the  Star  Chamber, 
and  not,  as  Hudson  supposes  from  its  name,  "  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  naughty  sailors." 

97.    Si  fortitim,  etc.     See  on  ii.  4.  160  above. 

100.  Shall  all  be  very  well  provided  for.  Even  the  cold-blooded 
John  of  Lancaster  seems  to  endorse  the  merciful  policy  of  the  king, 
and  to  assume  that  the  orders  to  carry  Falstaff  and  his  company  to 
the  Fleet  are  not  to  interfere  with  it.  Possibly  they  were  put  in 
prison  only  until  arrangements  should  be  made  for  carrying  out  the 
king's  purposes  concerning  them.  But  Clarke  may  be  right  in  his 
opinion  that  Prince  John,  like  the  Chief- Justice,  rejoices  at  the  dis- 
grace of  Falstaff ;  "  but  he  puts  a  demure  face  on  the  affair,  and 
applauds  the  '  fairness '  of  the  proceeding,  while  saying  nothing 
about  the  extreme  manner  in  which  the  king's  orders  are  carried 
out." 


256 


Notes  [Act  V 


loi.  Conversations.  Habits,  behaviour.  Cf.  A.  atid  C.  ii.  6. 
131  :  "Octavia  is  of  a  holy,  cold,  and  still  conversation;  "  where 
tie  modern  sense  of  coni'ersation  would  be  a  bull.  See  also  M.  W. 
ii.  I.  25.  Bacon,  in  Essay  27,  speaks  of  "a  love  and  desire  to 
sequester  a  mans  selfe,  for  a  higher  conversation  ;  "  and  Latimer, 
in  one  of  his  Sermons,  refers  to  "  the  conversations  or  doings  of 
the  saints."     Cf.  Psalms.,  xxxvii.  14,  1.  23. 

108.  /  heard  a  bird  so  sing.  This  expression  was  proverbial, 
and  we  sometimes  hear  it  even  nowadays.  Steevens  cites  the  old 
ballad  of  The  Rising  in  (he  A'orth  :  — 

*'  1  heare  a  bird  sing  in  mine  eare, 
That  I  must  either  fight  or  flee." 


Epilogue 


It  is  doubtful  whether  S.  wrote  this  Epilogue.  White  remarks 
that  the  speaker,  who  was  a  dancer,  seems  to  imply  that  it  is  not 
the  poet's  by  saying  that  it  is  of  his  own  making.  "  It  is  a  manifest 
and  poor  imitation  of  the  Epilogue  to  J.  V.  Z." 

I.  Courtesy.  The  same  word  as  curtsy.  Cf.  A.  V.  L.  epil.  23, 
and  see  on  ii.  i.  122  above. 

5.  Should.  Sometimes  used  instead  of  shall,  even  after  a  present 
tense.     Doubt  =  fear,  suspect ;    as  often. 

12.  Break.  Become  bankrupt ;  as  in  vT/.  of  V.\\\.  i.  120 :  "he 
cannot  choose  but  break,"  etc. 

14.   Bate.     Remit  ;   as  in  Temp.  \.  2.  250  :  — 

"  thou  didst  promise 
To  bate  me  a  full  year,"  etc. 

21.  All  the  gentle^vomen,  etc.  Johnson  compares  the  epilogue 
to  A.  V.  L.  for  "  the  trick  of  influencing  one  part  of  the  audience 
by  the  favour  of  the  other." 


Epilogue]  Notes  157 

26.  Our  hu?nble  au/hor,  tic.  Dowden  remarks :  "The  epilogue 
to  2  Henry  IV.  (whether  it  was  written  by  S.  or  not  remains 
doubtful)  had  promised  that  '  our  humble  author  will  continue  the 
story  with  Sir  John  in  it.'  But  our  humble  author  decided  (with  a 
finer  judgment  than  Cervantes  in  the  case  of  his  hero)  that  the 
public  was  not  to  be  indulged  in  laughter  for  laughter's  sake  at  the 
expense  of  his  play.  The  tone  of  the  entire  play  of  Henry  V. 
would  have  been  altered  if  Falstaff  had  been  allowed  to  appear  in 
it.  During  the  monarchy  of  a  Henry  IV.  no  glorious  enthusiasm 
animated  England.  It  was  distracted  by  civil  contention.  Mouldy, 
Shallow,  and  Feeble  were  among  the  champions  of  the  royal  cause. 
...  At  such  a  time  our  imagination  can  loiter  among  the  humours 
and  follies  of  a  tavern.  When  the  nation  was  divided  into  various 
parties,  when  no  interest  was  absorbing  and  supreme,  Sir  John 
might  well  appear  upon  his  throne  at  Eastcheap,  monarch  by  virtue 
of  his  wit,  and  form  with  his  company  of  followers  a  state  within  the 
state.  But  with  the  coronation  of  Henry  V.  opens  a  new  period, 
when  a  higher  interest  animates  history,  when  the  national  life  was 
unified,  and  the  glorious  struggle  with  France  began.  At  such  a 
time  private  and  secondary  interests  must  cease ;  the  magnificent 
swing,  the  impulse  and  advance  of  the  life  of  England  occupy  our 
whole  imagination.  It  goes  hard  with  us  to  part  from  Falstaff,  but, 
like  the  king,  part  from  him  we  must ;  we  cannot  be  encumbered 
with  that  tun  of  flesh  ;  Agincourt  is  not  the  field  for  splendid 
mendacity.  Falstaff,  whose  principle  of  life  is  an  attempt  to  corus- 
cate away  the  facts  of  life,  and  who  was  so  potent  during  the 
Prince's  minority,  would  now  necessarily  appear  trivial.  There  is 
no  place  for  Falstaff  any  longer  on  earth  ;  he  must  find  refuge  '  in 
Arthur's  bosom.'  " 

30.  For  Oldcastle  died  a  martyr,  etc.  An  important  part  of  the 
evidence  that  Falstaff  was  originally  called  Oldcastle  in  the  play. 
See  p.  10  above. 

33.  And  so  kneel  .  .  .  to  pray  for  the  qiteen.  In  the  quarto  these 
words  (reading  "  /  kneele  ")  are  placed  at  the  end  of  the  first  para- 
2  HENRY  IV —  17 


258  Notes  [Act  V 

graph  of  the  epilogue,  after  promise  yoti  infinitely.  Perhaps,  as 
White  suggests,  the  epilogue,  as  at  first  written,  consisted  only  of 
this  paragraph,  and  the  necessary  transposition  was  overlooked 
when  the  rest  was  added  in  the  quarto.  It  was  the  custom  in  the 
poet's  time  to  end  the  performance  with  a  prayer  for  the  sovereign. 
In  many  instances,  the  form  of  prayer  is  found  at  the  close  of 
the  play;  as,  for  example,  in  Preston's  Catnbyses  (quoted  by 
Steevens)  :  — 

"  As  duty  binds  us,  for  our  noble  queene  let  us  pray, 

And  for  her  honourable  councel,  the  truth  that  they  may  use, 
To  practise  justice,  and  defend  her  grace  eche  day; 
To  maintaine  God's  word  they  may  not  refuse, 
To  correct  all  those  that  would  her  grace  and  grace's  laws  abuse; 
Beseeching  God  over  us  she  may  reign  long, 
To  be  guided  by  trueth  and  defended  from  wrong. 
Amen,  q.  Thomas  Preston." 

This  custom  seems  to  have  been  adopted  from  the  old  moralities. 


APPENDIX 

Comments  on  Some  of  the  Characters 

Falstaff.  —  In  the  present  play  we  see  Falstaff  in  his  decadence. 
"  We  have  the  old  wit,  and  humour,  the  old  slipperiness  when 
seemingly  caught,  the  old  mastery  over  every  one,  till  the  triumph 
should  come,  when  comes  catastrophe  instead.  But  we  have  more 
of  the  sharper,  the  cheat,  the  preyer  on  others  (the  hostess. 
Shallow,  the  soldiers  at  the  choosing)  brought  out."  The  un- 
scrupulous plundering  of  his  friends  is  not  to  be  palliated  ;  and  his 
treatment  of  Shallow  while  enjoying  his  hospitality  is  outrageous. 
It  is  worse  than  all  his  immoralities,  for  it  reveals  a  depth  of  mean- 
ness in  his  nature  wdiich  is  past  all  hope  of  reform.  With  all  his 
sagacity  and  wit,  he  was  an  incorrigible  old  reprobate  ;  and  Henry 
knew  it  when  he  finally  cast  him  off  so  completely  and  inexorably. 

The  King  has  been  blamed  for  this  harsh  treatment  of  his  former 
boon  companion  ;  but  if  we  examine  the  play  carefully  we  shall 
see  that  he  is  not  responsible  for  sending  Falstaff  to  the  Fleet 
Prison.  He  forbids  the  knight  and  his  companions  to  come  near 
his  person,  l)ut  he  adds  :  — 

"  For  competence  of  life  I  "will  allow  you, 
That  lack  of  means  enforce  you  not  to  evil  ; 
And,  as  we  hear  you  do  reform  yourselves, 
We  will,  according  to  your  strengths  and  qualities, 
Give  you  advancement." 

Then,  turning  to  the  Chief-Justice,  he  says:  — 

"  Be  it  your  charge,  my  lord, 
To  see  perform'd  the  tenor  of  our  word." 

259 


26o  Appendix 

After  he  has  departed  with  his  train,  the  Chief-Justice  says  to 
his  officers :  — 

"  Go  carry  Sir  John  Falstaff  to  the  Fleet  ; 
Take  all  his  company  along  with  him." 

He  evidently  does  this  on  his  own  responsibility.  He  doubtless 
felt  that  the  fat  old  rogue  had  been  let  off  too  easily,  and  deter- 
mined to  take  his  punishment  into  his  own  hands.  We  have 
reason,  however,  to  believe  that  the  King  reversed  the  hard  sen- 
tence, for  a  little  later  (in  the  opening  scenes  of  the  play  that  fol- 
lows), we  find  Falstaff  and  his  friends  all  at  liberty.  [See  also  on 
v.  5.  92  above.]  , 

The  epilogue  to  this  play  had  promised  that  Falstaff  should  be 
brought  upon  the  stage  again,  and  we  cannot  doubt  that  when 
Henry  V.  was  first  performed,  the  failure  to  fulfil  the  promise  was 
a  serious  disappointment  to  the  audience.  It  is  improbable,  how- 
ever, that  the  epilogue  in  question  was  written  by  Shakespeare. 
If  he  indirectly  authorized  the  promise  that  Jack  should  reappear 
on  the  boards,  his  sober  second  thought  !ed  him  to  abandon  the 
idea.  Falstaff  would  have  been  an  unmanageable  character  in  the 
new  play.  After  the  King  had  banished  him  from  his  presence. 
Jack's  occupation  was  gone.  True,  he  could  have  regained  the 
royal  favour  by  reforming,  but  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  Fal- 
staff reformed.  It  would  have  required  a  re-forming  in^leed  — 
a  radical  reconstruction  that  would  have  left  him  scarcely  recog- 
nizable, unless  by  his  mere  corporal  bulk — if,  indeed,  that  could 
have  been  maintained  without  his  unlimited  potations  of  sack. 
The  delightful  old  sinner  would,  I  fear,  h|ve  been  rather  dull  in 
a  more  virtuous  and  respectable  role.  The  better  course  was  to 
get  him  out  of  the  way  as  gently  as  possible,  and  Dame  Quickly's 
account  of  his  last  hours  is  as  pathetic  as  it  is  natural.  We  bid 
him  good-bye  as  Prince  Hal  did  when  he  supposed  him  dead  on 

Shrewsbury  field :  — 

"  Poor  Jack,  farewell ! 

I  could  have  better  spared  a  better  man." 


Appendix  261 

"  The  rogues,"  says  Miss  Constance  O'Brien,  "  all  come  to  a  bad 
end.  Falstaff  dies  in  obscure  poverty,  Nym  and  Bardolph  get 
hung  in  France,  Pistol  is  stripped  of  his  braggart  honour,  and  even 
the  '  boy  and  the  luggage,'  as  Fluellen  puts  it,  are  killed  together. 
Poins  also,  the  best  of  the  set,  vanishes  silently,  without  a  word  as 
to  his  fate  ;  and  so  that  wild  crew  breaks  up  and  disappears,  leav- 
ing the  world  to  laugh  over  them  and  their  leader  forever.  If 
Falstaff  was  drawn  from  a  living  man,  that  man  must  have  been  a 
little  Irish  ;   no  purely  English  brains  work  quite  so  fast." 

John  of  Lancaster.  —  Prince  John  seems  to  have  inherited  all 
the  meaner  qualities  of  his  father,  with  no  touch  of  the  redeeming 
ones.  No  wonder  that  Falstaff  hated  him.  With  his  keen  insight 
into  human  nature  he  saw  through  the  bloodless,  treacherous  fel- 
low. We  may  suspect  that  Prince  Henry  understood  him,  at  least 
in  part,  from  the  impulsive  tribute  he  paid  to  his  bravery  on  the 
battlefield :  — 

"  By  heaven,  thou  hast  deceiv'd  me,  Lancaster! 
I  did  not  think  thee  lord  of  such  a  spirit. 
Before  I  lov'd  thee  as  a  brother,  John  ; 
But  now  I  do  respect  thee  as  my  soul." 

I  think  I  have  never  seen  any  comment  on  that  little  speech,  but 
to  me  it  is  very  significant.  Its  very  praise  is  an  indirect  reproof, 
though  Henry  does  not  mean  it  so.  How  plainly  it  says  that  hith- 
erto he  has  really  considered  his  brother  a  sneak,  though  he  has 
felt  a  kind  of  love  for  him  because  he  was  a  brother,  but  now  for 
the  first  time  he  feels  a  genuine  regard  and  respect  for  him  on  ac- 
count of  what  he  is  in  himself,  apart  from  the  claims  of  kindred 
blood. 

Never  was  there  baser  treachery  than  that  of  John  to  York,  Mow- 
bray, and  Hastings  after  they  had  surrendered,  on  his  pledge  that 
their  grievances  should  be  redressed  ;  and  the  pious  cant  with 
which  he  follows  it  up  —  "  Heaven,  and  not  we,  hath  safely  fought 
to-day"  —  makes  it  only  the  more  detestable.      Johnson   (see  on 


262  Appendix 

iv.  2.  121)  has  found  fault  with  the  dramatist  for  not  denouncing 
this  treachery  and  hypocrisy ;  but  Shalcespeare  knew  that  it  was 
sufficient  to  show  the  devil  in  his  diabolical  character  without 
labelling  the  picture  or  adding  a  homily  upon  its  blackness.  lie 
knew  that  he  could  trust  his  auditors  or  readers  to  that  extent. 

Lady  Pekcy.  —  The  wife  of  Hotspur  fills  no  large  place  in  the 
play,  and  yet,  like  all  Shakespeare's  women,  she  is  delineated  so 
graphically  that  she  has  a  distinct  individuality.  Her  appeal  to  her 
husband  to  make  her  the  confidant  of  his  cares  and  anxieties  has 
been  compared  with  that  of  Portia  to  Brutus  in  Julius  Casar ; 
but,  as  Mrs.  Jameson  has  well  shown,  though  the  circumstances 
are  almost  exactly  similar,  the  difference  in  the  two  women  is  as 
obvious  as  that  in  their  husbands.  Lady  Percy  is  the  slighter 
character  of  the  two,  and  seeks  to  rule  her  husband  rather  by 
caresses  than  by  reason  and  an  appeal  to  her  rights  as  a  woman 
and  a  wife  ;  but  after  Hotspur's  death  she  rises  to  heroic  dignity 
in  her  reproof  of  her  weak  and  vacillating  father-in-law  for  his 
inaction  in  the  war  that  cost  both  him  and  her  so  much.  He 
talks  of  his  "  pledged  honour  "  as  a  reason  why  he  must  not  desert 
the  new  enterprise,  but  how  bitterly  she  reminds  him  of  his  loss  of 
honour  in  the  former  one  ! 

"  Who  then  persuaded  you  to  stay  at  home? 
There  were  two  honours  lost,  yours  and  your  son's. 
For  yours,  the  God  of  heaven  brighten  it ! 
For  his,  it  stuck  upon  him  as  the  sun 
On  the  grey  vault  of  heaven,  and  by  his  light 
Did  all  the  chivalry  of  England  move 
To  do  brave  acts. 

And  him,  O  wondrous  him ! 
O  miracle  of  men  !  him  did  you  leave, 
Second  to  none,  unseconded  by  you, 
To  look  upon  the  hideous  god  of  war 
On  disadvantage,  to  abide  a  field 
Where  nothing  but  the  sound  of  Hotspur's  name 


Appendix  262 

Did  seem  defensible;  so  you  left  him. 
Never,  O  never,  do  his  ghost  the  wrong 
To  hold  your  honour  more  precise  and  nice 
With  others  than  with  him  !  " 

The  Northumberland  of  the  play  is  the  Northumberland  of  his- 
tory, always  more  ready  to  promise  than  to  perform,  to  talk,  than 
to  act.  How  could  the  fiery  Hotspur  have  been  the  son  of  such 
an  impotent  old  braggart? 


The  Time-Analysis  of  the  Play 

This  is  summed  up  in  Mr.  P.  A.  Daniel's  paper  "  On  the  Times 

or  Durations  of  the  Action  of  Shakspere's  Plays,"  Transactions  of 

New  Shaks.  Soc.  1877-79,  p.  288  fol.,  as  follows:  — 

"Time  of  this  Play,  nine    days  represented  on  the  stage,  with 

three  extra    Falstaffian    days,  and    intervals.     The    total  dramatic 

time,  including  intervals,  is  not  easily  determined  ;   I  fancy  a  couple 

of  months  would  be  a  liberal  estimate. 

Day  I.  Act  I.  sc.  i.  Warkworth.  Lord  Bardolph  with  Northum- 
berland. 

Interval:  time  for  Lord  Bardolph  to  join  the  Archbishop  at  York. 

Day  2.  Act  I.  sc.  Hi.  York.  Lord  Bardolph  with  the  Archbishop 
and  confederates.  While  this  scene  takes  place  at  York  we 
may  suppose  that  in  Act  II.  sc.  Hi.  Northumberland  resolves  for 
Scotland. 

Interval,  including  the  Falstaffian  Days  \a  and  2a,  during  which 
the  King  arrives  in  London. 

[Day  \a.   Act  I.  sc.  ii.     Falstaff  in  London. 

Day  2fl.  Act  II.  sc.  i.  FalstafPs  arrest.  The  Ivng  and  Prince  Hal 
arrive  from  Wales. 

Act  II.  sc.  ii.     Prince  Hal  and  Poins, 


264  Appendix 

Aci  II.  sc.  iv.     Supper  at  the  Boar's  Head.] 

Day  3.  Act  III.  sc.  i.     Westminster.     The  King  receives  uncertain 
news   of  the    rebellion.     This   scene   must    be    the   morrow    of 
Day  2a. 
Interval.     Falstaff  s  journey  into  Gloucestershire. 
Day  4.    Act  III.  sc.  ii.     Falstaff  takes  up  recruits. 
Interval.     Falstaff's  journey  into   Yorkshire  to  join  the    army  of 

Prince  John. 
Day  5.    Act  IV.  sc.  i.  to  Hi.     Yorkshire.     Suppression  of  the  re- 
bellion. 
Interval.     Westmoreland,  followed  by  Prince  John,  returns  to  Lon- 
don.    Falstaff  travels  into  Gloucestershire. 
Day  6.    Act  IV.  sc.  iv.  and  v.     Westminster.     Westmoreland  and 

Prince  John  arrive  at  the  Court.     Mortal  sickness  of  the  King. 
[Day  3a.    Act  V.  sc.  i.     Falstaff  arrives  at  Justice  Shallow's. 
Act  V.  sc.  Hi.     Justice  Shallow's.     Pistol  arrives  with  news  of  the 

King's  death.] 
Day  7.   Act  V.  sc.  ii.     Westminster.     Immediately  after  the  King's 

death;   the  morrow,  I  take  it,  of  Day  6. 
Interval.     Funeral  of  the  late  King ;    preparations  for  the  corona- 
tion of  the  new.     Within  this  interval  must  be  supposed  Falstaff's 
arrival  at  Justice  Shallow's,  Pistol's  journey  from  London  with 
news  of  the  King's  death,  and  the  return  of  Falstaff  and  com- 
pany to  London. 
Day  8.   Act  V.  sc.  iv.     Mrs.  Quickly  and  Doll  Tearsheet  in  custody. 
Day  9.   Act  V.  sc.  v.     London.     Arrival  of  Falstaff  and  company. 
Coronation  of  Henry  V. 

I  append  for  the  convenience  of  the  reader  the  dates  of  the 
chief  historical  events  dealt  with  in  the  play:  Battle  of  Shrewsbury, 
2ist  July,  1403  ;  suppression  of  the  Archbishup  of  York's  rebel- 
lion, 1405  ;  final  defeat  of  Northumberland  and  Lord  Bardolph, 
28th  Feb.,  1408;  death  of  Henry  IV.,  20th  March,  1413;  coro- 
nation of  Henry  V.,  9th  April,  1413;  death  of  Owen  Glendower, 
20th  Sept.,  141 5." 


Appendix  265 

List  of  Characters  in  the  Play 

The  numbers  in  parentheses  indicate  the  lines  the  characters 
have  in  each  scene. 

Rumour :,  ind.  (40).     Whole  no.  40. 

King :  iii.  1(80)  ;    iv.  4(76),  5(138).     Whole  no.  294. 

Prince  Henry :  ii.  2(93),  4(37);  iv.  5(81);  v.  2(70),  5(27). 
Whole  no.  308. 

Clarence:  iv.  4(13),  5(6);   v.  2(4).     Whole  no.  23. 

Lancaster:  iv.  2(67),  3(23),  5(1);  v.  2(7),  5(11).  Whole  no. 
109. 

Gloucester:  iv.  4(9),  5(3);   v.  2(5),     Whole  no.  17. 

Lord Bardolph  :  i.  1(40),  3(46).     Whole  no.  86. 

Warioick:  iii.   1(31);   iv.  4(18),  5(15);   v.  2(13).     Whole  no. 

77- 

Westmoreland :  iv,  I (81),  2(17),  3(1),  4(11).     Whole  no.  no. 

Gozver :  ii.  1(8).     Whole  no.  8. 

Harcourt :  iv.  4(8).     Whole  no.  8. 

Chief  Justice :  i.  2(63);  ii.  1(42);  v.  2(50),  5(7).  Whole  no. 
162. 

Servant  of  Chief  Justice  :  i.  2(13).     Whole  no.  13. 

Northumberland :  i.  1(87);    ii.  3(19).     Whole  no.  106. 

Archbishop :  i.  3(33);   iv.  1(91),  2(25).     Whole  no.  149. 

Mowbray:  i.  3(6);   iv.  1(43),  2(7).     Whole  no.  56. 

Hastings  :  i.  3(28);   iv.  I  (16),  2(13).     Whole  no.  57. 

Colevile  :  iv.  3(9).     Whole  no.  9. 

Travers  :  i.  1(16).     Whole  no.  16. 

Morton:  i.  1(78).     Whole  no.  78. 

Falstaff:  i.  2(185);  "•  i(57)' 4(i22);  iii.  2(140);  iv.  3(108); 
V.  1(33).  3(36),  5(38).     Whole  no.  719. 

Bardolph:  ii.  2(17),  4(11) ;  iii.  2(22);  iv.  3(1);  v.  l(l),3(5). 
Whole  no.  57. 

Pistol:  ii.  4(38);  v.  3(28),  5(15).     Whole  no.  81. 

Poins :  ii.  2(70),  4(12).     Whole  no.  82. 


266  Appendix 

Peto  :  ii.  4(6).     Whole  no.  6. 

Shallow:  iii.  2(136);   v.  1(36),  3(38),  5(13).     Whole  no.  223. 

Silence:  iii.  2(16);    v.  3(31).     Whole  no.  47. 

Davy  :  v.  1(28),  3(11).      Whole  no.  39. 

Mouldy  :  iii.  2(13).     Whole  no.  13. 

Shadow :  iii.  2(2).     Whole  no.  2. 

Wart :  iii.  2(2).     Whole  no.  2. 

Feeble :  iii.  2(13).     Whole  no.  13. 

Bullcalf:  iii.  2(14).     Whole  no.  14. 

Fang:  ii.  i(io).     Whole  no.  10. 

Snare:  ii.  1(8).     Whole  no.  8. 

isl  Beadle :  v.  4(11)-     Whole  no.  II. 

\st  Groom  :  v,  5(3).     Whole  no.  3. 

2d  Groom:  v.  5(1).     Whole  no.  i. 

Page  :  i.  2(17);   ii.  2(16),  4(2).     Whole  no.  35. 

Porter:  i.  1(4).     Whole  no.  4. 

\st  Draiver :  ii.  4(12).     Whole  no.  12. 

2d  Drawer  :  11.4(13).     Whole  no.  13. 

Messenger :  iv.  1(4).     Whole  no.  4. 

Dancer :  epil.  (37). 

Lady  iVorthumberland :  ii.  3(5).     Whole  no.  5. 

Lady  Percy :  ii.  3(46).     Whole  no.  46. 

Lfostess :  ii.  1(89),  4(90);   v.  4(10).     Whole  no.  189. 

Doll  Tearsheet :  ii.  4(79);  v.  4(14).     Whole  no.  93. 

Surrey  is  on  the  stage  in  iii.  i,  and  Blunt  in  iv.  3,  but  they  do 
not  speak. 

In  the  above  enumeration,  parts  of  lines  are  counted  as  whole 
lines,  making  the  total  in  the  play  greater  than  it  is.  The  actual 
number  of  lines  in  each  scene  (Globe  edition  numbering)  is  as  fol- 
lows:  ind.  (40);  i.  1(215),  2(278),  3(110);  ji.  1(209),  2(196), 
3(68),  4(421);  iii.  1(108),  2(358);  iv.  1(228),  2(123),  3(142) 
4(132),  5(241);  V.  1(98),  2(145),  3(147).  4(35)»  5("5);  epil. 
(37).     Whole  no.  in  the  play,  3446. 


INDEX    OF   WORDS    AND    PHRASES 
EXPLAINED 


abated,  175 

abide,  197 

accents  (plural),  197 

accites,  194,  248 

accommodated,  213 

Achitophel,  180 

aconitum,  233 

action  (trisyllable),  223 

addressed  (=  ready),  231 

advised,  178 

affect  (=  desire),  239 

affections,  233 

after  my  seeming,  248 

after-supper,  198,  249 

agate,  178 

Alecto,  253 

all  (=  two),  209 

allow  (=  approve),  225 

Althaea's  dream,  195 

Amurath,  244 

ancient  (=  ensign),  199 

ancient  (=  former),  197 

and  there  an  end,  219 

angel  (coin),  183 

anon,  anon,  sir!   207 

antiquity  (=  old  age),  184 

apple-johns,  198 

approve  (=  prove),  184 

apter,  174 

aptest,  178 

Arthur's  Show,  217 

as  (=  as  iO,  235 

as  nail  in  door,  251 

assemblance,  216 

assistances,  239 

at  a  word,  217 

at  door,  208 

at  full,  176 

at  least  1  =  at  worst?),  187 

at  twelve-score,  212 

atomy,  252 

atonement,  225 

Atropos,  204 

attach  (=  arrest),  226 


attached  (=  seized),  193 
awful  (=  full  of  awe) ,  223, 

245 
a-work,  230 

backsword  man,  213 
balm      (=  anointing-oil), 

237 
band  (=  bond),  180 
Barbary  hen,  200 
Barson,  250 
Bartholomew      boar-pig, 

204 
basket-hilt  stale  juggler, 

200  i 

bate  (=  contention),  205 
bate  (=  remit),  256 
battle  (=army),  214,  222 
baying  him,  188 
bear  a  mind,  215 
bear  in  hand,  180 
bear-herd,  184 
became,  197 
bed-hangings,  192 
beefs,  218 
belike.  193 
beseek,  201 
beshrew,  197,  249 
bestow  (=  behave),  196 
bestride,  178 
Bezonian,  251 
big  (=  pregnant),  172 
biggen,  236 
births  of  nature,  235 
bleed  (=  be  bled),  220 
bloody  (=  sanguine',  219 
blubbered,  208 
blue-bottle  rogue,  252 
blunt  (=  dullt,  172 
borne  (=  laden),  208 
borrower's  cap,  195 
bought  (=  hired),  182 
bounce,  217 
brawn,  173 


break    (=  become    bank- 
rupt), 256 
breeds  no  bate,  205 
bruited,  175 
buckle  (=bend),  176 
bung  (=  sharpen,  200 
burns  (with  disease),  207 
burst  (=  broke),  218 
busses,  206 
but  I  =  except),  250 
by,  237 

by  cock  and  pie,  241 
by  God's  liggens,  250 

Cain,  177 

caliver,  216 

calm  (=  qualml,  199 

canaries,  ig8 

candle-mine,  207 

cankers  (=  worms),  195 

Cannibals,  202 

cannot  choose  but,  215 

capable,  178 

carat,  239 

caraways,  248 

cast    (=  calculated),   178, 

242 
cavaleros,  249 
channel  (=  gutter),  190 
cheater,  200 
check  (=  reproof),  228 
check    (=  reprove),    184, 

210 
choked  the  respect  of,  178 
chops.  204 
chopt,  216 
churlish,  188 
civil,  220 

clapped  i'  the  clout,  212 
Clement's  Inn,  211 
close  with,  207 
cock  and  pie,  241 
cold  considerance,  245 
coldest,  244 


267 


268 


Index  of  Words  and  Phrases 


Colevile    (a    trisyllable), 

229 
colour    (=  pretext),    185, 

254 
come  to  any  proof,  229 
commences    and   sets    in 

act,  231 
commodity,  185 
commotion,  221 
companion,  200 
complices,  177 
condition,  229 
confound       (=  exhaust), 

232 
conger,  205 
consent  (=  agree),  187 
consent      (,=  agreement), 

243 
consider  of,  209 
consigning  to,  248 
consist,  223 
continents,  207 
conversations,  256 
Corporate    (=  Corporal), 

215 
corpse  (plural),  179 
correctioner,  252 
cost  (=  costly  thing),  187 
costermonger  times,  184 
Cotswold  man,  211 
could  away  with  me,  215 
courtesy,  191,  256 
Coventry,  222 
cover    (=lay  the  table), 

198 
crack  (=pert  boy),  212 
crafty-sick,  172 
crosses  (play  upon),  185 
crudy,  230 

current  (=  genuine),  191 
curry  with,  243 
cuttle,  200 

dace  and  pike,  218 

day    (=  day    of    battle), 

173 
dead  elm,  207 
dear  (=  earnest),  239 
declension,  196 
defensible,  197 
depart  (transitive),  237 
determine  of,  222 
determined        (=  ended), 

237 
devil's  book,  193 
devour  the  way,  173 


discolours    the    complex- 
ion, 193 
discover  (=  disclose),  160 
discoverers,  219 
distempered,  209 
do  me  right,  250 
dole,  178 

Dolphin-chamber,  191 
doubt  (=  fear) ,  256 
draw  (=  assemble'!,  189 
draw  (=  withdraw),  192 
draw  a  curtain,  174 
drollery,  192 
drooping,  172 
dub  me  knight,  250 
dull  (=  soothing),  236 

earl  (=  duke),  222 
easy,  244 
eating  the  air,  186 
edge  (=  sword),  221 
element  (=  sky),  228 
enamoured  on,  189 
endeared  (=  bound),  196 
enforcement,  175 
engaged  to  this  loss,  178 
engraffed  to,  194 
engrossed,  237 
engrossments,  237 
enlarge  his  rising,  179 
Ephesians,  196 
equal  with,  188 
ever  among,  249 
exceeding  (adverb),  243 
exclamation,  190 
exion,  189 

face-royal,  180 

faiths,  223 

faitors,  201 

fancies,  218 

fantasy,  244 

fear  (=  cause  to  fear),  234 

fear  (=  fearful  thing),  175, 

239 
fear  no  colours,  254 
fearful  (full  of  fear),  172 
fennel,  205 

fertile  (=  fertilizing),  231 
fetch  off,  217 
fiery  trigon,  206 
fig  me,  281 
fillip,  185 
flap-dragons,  205 
flaws  congealed,  232 
Fleet,  the,  254 


fleshed, 176 

flint,  232 

foeman,  216 

foin,  189,  204 

followed,  173 

fond  (=  foolish),  188 

fondly,  226 

for  (=  as  for) ,  196 

for  recordation  to,  197 

force  perforce,  221,  233 

forehand  shaft,  212 

forestalled  remission,  244 

forgetive,  230 

formal  (=  grave),  248 

forspent,  173 

foutra,  251 

frank  (=  sty),  196 

fiibbed  off',  189 

fustian,  202 

fustilarian,  190 

Galloway  nags,  202 

gan, 176 

garland    (=  crown),   240, 

245 
Gaultree  Forest,  219 
gave  out  (=  declared) ,  219 
German  hunting,  192 
giant  (of  boy),  179 
gibbets   on   the    brewer's 

bucket,  216 
giddy,  240 
gird  (=  gibe),  179 
go  (play  upon),  183 
good  (=  favourable),  190 
good  morrow,  209 
good-nights,  218 
good-year,  199 
grace  (play  upon),  208 
graff,  194,  248 
grate  on  (=  vex),  221 
gravy       (pronunciation) , 

183 
Gray's  Inn,  212 
greaves,  220 
grief  (=  pain),  176 
griefs  (=  grievances),  220, 

225,  240 
grows  to  me,  182 
guarded  (=  trimmed),  220 
guilt  (play  upon),  238 

had  as  lief,  180,  215 
haled,  253 
half-faced,  216 
half  kirtles,  206,  252 


Index  of  Words  and  Phrases         269 


handling  (trisyllable),  222 

hangs,  224 

happy  low,  lie  down,  209 

Harry  ten  shillings,  215 

hatch  (noun),  211 

haunch, 234 

have  at  him,  184 

head  (=  army),  178 

hearken  the  end,  207 

heat,  207,  228 

hem,  boys!  215 

hemp-seed,  190 

hence  (=  henceforth),  253 

hilding,  174 

Hinckley,  242 

Hiren.  201 

his  (=its),  234 

his  tongue  be  hotter,  180 

history  (verb),  224 

hold  sortance,  219 

Holland  (play  upon),  193 

honey-seed,  190 

honey-suckle,  190 

horn  (play  upon),  181 

how  a  (=  how  go  a) ,  212 

how  chance,  231 

humane,  230 

humorous,  232 

humours  (=caprices)   192 

humours  of  blood,  197 

hunt  counter,  1S2 

hurly,  209 

husband  (=  farmer),  248 

I  heard  a  bird  so  sing,  256 

ill  (=evil),  183 

ill-beseeming,  221 

imagination  (metre),  186 

imbrue,  203 

immediate,  237 

imp  (=  youngling),  253 

in  a  particular  ballad,  228 

in  charge,  222 

in  few,  175 

in  fewer  offices.  187 

in  happy  season,  226 

in  his  particular,  234 

in  my  condition,  229 

in  our  means,  185 

in  paper,  187 

in  poison  there  is  physic, 

176 
in  project  of,  186 
in  the  effect  of,  192 
incensed, 186,  232 
incertain,  186 


indifferency,  228 
infer  (=  suggest),  253 
infinitive,  189 
insinewed,  223 
instance    (=  proof),    174, 

211,  220 
instinct  (accent),  174 
intelligencer,  225 
intended,  223 
intervallums,  243 
intreasured,  211 
invincible,  218 
iron  man,  225 
it  (possessive),  182 
it  is  (contemptuous),  199 

jade,  173 

Jerusalem  Chamber,  240 
joined-stools,  205 
Juvenal,  180 

keech,  191 

kept  by  a  devil,  231 

kickshaws,  242 

kindly  (=  natural),  237 

King  Cophetua,  251 

kirtle,  206 

kiss  (figurative),  210 

knolling,  175 

larum,  209 

lavish  (=  loose),  233 

lay  (=  resided),  217 

lay  by  the  heels,  183 

leather-coats,  249 

leather  jerkins,  196 

leman,  249 

Lethe,  244 

lewd,  194 

libbard,  189 

lie  (=  lodge),  226 

lie  in  the  throat,  182 

light  (=  wanton),  207 

lighten  (=  enlighten),  193 

lightness  (play  upon),  181 

like  (=  likely),  188 

like  (=  liken),  191 

like  as,  244 

lined      (=  strengthened), 

186 
lisping  to  his  master's  old 

tables,  206 
little  (=  a  little),  209 
liver,  184,  230,  253 
loathly,  234 


look  beyond  (=  misjudge) , 

233 
look  big,  186 

looked  (=  expected),  181 
Lubber's-head,  189 
Lumbert  Street,  189 

mad  (=  merry),  211 
make  courtesy,  191 
make  head,  178 
malmsey-nose,  190 
malt-worms,  207 
mandrake,  179 
man-queller,  190 
many  (noun),  188 
mare  (=  nightmare),  190 
marry,  193 
Martlemas,  195 
me  (expletive),  229 
medicine  potable,  239 
mess  (=  portion),  191 
met  (=  got),  239 
mile  (plural),  254 
mile  to  the  bottom,  a,  249 
Mile-End  Green,  217 
minion,  169 
miscarried,  222 
misdoubts,  224 
misordered,  225 
mistook,  226 
mode,  239 
model  (=  plan),  187 
moody,  232 
more  and  less,  179 
more  fairer,  240 
Morton  (accent),  174 
most  stillest,  209 
mouldy    stewed     prunes, 

200 
much  (ironical),  214 
mure,  234 
muse  (=  wonder),  223 

nail  in  door,  251 

names    (=  great   names), 

222 
near,  243 
neif,  202 
Nevil,  210 
new-dated,  219 
news  (number),  176 
nice,  223,  176 
Nine  Worthies,  204 
no  other,  244 
no  such  matter,  172 
noble  (coin),  192,  194 


ayo         Index  of  Words  and   Phrases 


noise  (=  musicians),  198 
not  (transposed),  221 
nut-hook,  252 

obedience,  239 

observance,  228 

observed,  232 

occasion  (metre),  220,  224 

occupy,  201 

ocean  (trisyllable),  209 

o'er-reail,  20S 

offer  (=  menace),  225 

offices,  1S7 

old  (intensive),  ig8 

Oldcastle,  257 

omit  (=  neglect),  232 

once  (=  some  time),  250 

on  an  edge,  178 

opposite  (noun),  187,  219 

orchard  (=  garden),  248 

ostentation,  194 

other  (=  others),  214 

other  his,  233 

our  valuation,  223 

ousel,  211 

out  (=  out  from),  193 

out-breathed,  175 

overlive,  219 

over-rode,  173 

overween,  222 

ovv-ed  (=  owned),  179 

pantler,  205 
parcel-gilt,  191 
part  (=  action),  237 
part  (=  depart),  226 
partition,  224 
passing  (adverb),  226 
Paul's,  181 
pause  us,  231 
pawned,  226 
peasant  (=  rural),  172 
peascod-time,  208 
perfectness,  233 
perforce,  176,  188,  211,  236 
persistency,  194 
peruse  (=  survey),  226 
philosopher's  two  stones, 

218 
picked  (=  refined),  224 
picking  (=  petty),  224 
please  it,  [73,  211,  234 
pleaseth,  225 
Poins  his  brother,  207 
point  (=  lace),  174 
point  (=  signal),  202 


points  (play  upon),  202 

Pomfret,  179 

ports  (=  portals),  236 

posts  (=  horses),  228 

pottle-pot,  250 

pound  (plural),  185,  216 

power(=  army),  176,  186, 

231 
powers     (=  forces),    178, 

219,  226 
pray  for  the  queen,  257 
precepts  (=warrants),242 
pregnancy,  184 
present      (=  immediate), 

223,  229 
presented,  244 
presurmise,  178 
prick  (=  mark),  214 
pricked  down,  207 
preface,  249 
profited,  195 
proper  (=own),  245 
proper     fellow      of      my 

hands,  194 
proper  to,  186 
propose  (=  suppose),  245 
puissance     (metre),     186, 

188,   197 
punish  by  the  heels,  183 
purchased,  239 

quantities,  243 
queasiness,  179 
quicksilver,  204 
quiet  o'er-posting,  183 
quit  (=  exempt),  215 
quittance,  175 
quiver  (=  nimble),  217 
quoif,  176 
quoit,  203 

racket,  193 

ragged  (=  beggarly),  244 

ragged'st,  177 

rampalliam,  190 

rascal,  199,  252 

rash,  233 

rebellion  (metre),  172 

recordation,  197 

red  lattice,  194 

red  wheat,  242 

religion  (metre),  179 

remember     (=  mention), 

248 
remembrance,  247 
rere-supper,  198  | 


resolved  correction,  224 

respect  (=  regard),  178 

rheumatic,  199 

rides  the  wild  mare,  205 

rigol,  237 

ripe  (verb),  219 

rood  (=  cross),  211 

rotten  (=  false),  248 

royal  (coin),  180 

royal  faiths,  223 

Rumour,  full  of  tongues, 

171 
rushes,  252 

sack  (play  upon),  184 
sad  (=  sober),  243 
sadly  (=  soberly),  247 
said  I  well?  215 
Samingo,  250 
Saturn  and  Venus  in  con- 
junction, 206 
saving    your    manhoods, 

189 
scab  (personal),  217 
sealed  up,  237 
sect  (=  sex?),  199 
seldom  when,  233 
semblable,  243 
semper  idem,  etc.,  253 
set  abroach,  225 
set  off,  222 
set  on,  189,  254 
seven  stars,  202 
sherris-sack,  229 
ship-boy,  209 
shot  (=  shooter),  216 
should  (=  shall),  256 
shove-groat,  203 
shrewd,  204 
Shrove-tide,  249 
si  fortune,  etc.,  202,  255 
sicked,  235 

sights  (of  helmet),  222 
since  (=when),  215 
since  when?  200 
Sincklo,  251 
single  (play  upon),  184 
Sir  Dagonet,  217 
Sisjers  Three,  204 
Skogan's  head,  212 
slippery  clouds,  209 
slops  (=  breeches),  180 
smooth-pates,  180 
sneap,  191 

so  (omitted),  179, 209,  223, 
224 


Index  of  Words  and  Phrases         271 


so  (=  so  be  it),  215 
soft  silencing,  245 
something  a,  184 
son  (play  upon),  214 
soon  at  night,  254 
south  (=  south  wind) ,  208 
speak  fair,  244 
speak  in  your  state,  245 
speaking  thick,  197 
spit  white,  1S5 
stained  with  travel,  253 
stand  my  good  lord,  229 
stand  the  push,  193 
state  of  floods,  248 
staying  question,  174 
stiff-borne,  178 
still-stand,  197 
stomach,  176,  234 
stop  (of  pipe),  172 
strained       (=  excessive), 

strange-achieved,  237 

sfatagem,  173 

strengthless,  176 

strengths  (concrete),  188 

studied,  193 

.success      (=  succession) , 
225 

successively,  240 

sufferance,  252 

sullen  (of  sounds),  175 

supplies         (=  reinforce- 
ments), 186,  225 

supposed,  239 

Surecard   214 

suspire,  236 

swaggerers,  199 

sway,  219 

sweet   o'   the   night,  the, 
249 

swinge-bucklers,  211 

sworn  brother,  218 

'tis   merry   in   hall,  etc., 

249 
tables  (=  note-book) ,  206, 

224 
take  not  the  heat,  207 
take  on  me  as,  220 
take  order,  214 


take  up  (=  encounter), 
188 

take  up  (=  get  on  trust), 
180 

take  up  (=!evy),  225 

taking  your  part,  245 

tall  (=  stout),  213,  243 

tame  cheater,  200 

tap  for  tap,  193 

teach  (=  prompt),  239 

tell  (play  upon),  183 

tempering,  231 

terms  (legal),  243 

tester,  217 

Tewksbury  mustard,  205 

the  heart  's  all,  249 

theme  (=  matter),  i85 

thereafter  as  they  be,  213 

thews,  216 

thin  man  in  a  censer, 
252 

this  little  kingdom,  man, 
230 

thou  wert  better,  182 

three-man  beetle,  185 

tidy,  204 

tilly-fally,  200 

tirrits.  204 

title-leaf,  174 

to  (=  according  to),  221 

to  (=  for),  214 

to  the  eyes,  210 

toward  (=  at  hand),  204 

toys  (=  trifles),  202 

trade  (=  activity),  178 

transformed  him  ape,  194 

traverse  (=  march),  216 

trigon,  206 

trimmed  in  thine  own  de- 
sires, 188 

trip  the  course  of  law,  245 

TurnbuU  Street,  217 

twenty,  196 

two  points,  200 

unfathered  heirs,  235 

unfirm.  188 

united     vessel     of    their 

blood,   232 
unseasoned,  211 


usurpation  (metre),  174 
utis,  198 

vail  his  stomach,  176 
valiant  (trisyllable),  197 
vaward,  184 

venom  of  suggestion,  232 
vice  (=  grasp),  189 
Vice's  dagger,  218 
virtuous,  237 

wanton        (=  luxurious), 

176 
warder       (=  truncheon), 

222 
wassail  candle,  183 
watch-case,  209 
well  conceited,  242 
well  encountered,  225 
well  invested,  231 
wen,  195 

what  (=  who),  173 
what   (=why),   172,  173, 

182,  190 
Wheeson,  191 
whiles,  225 
whipping-cheer,  252 
who  (=  which),  248 
whoreson,  182 
will  not  out,  250 
William  cook,  242 
winking,  186 
with  (=by),  179 
with  safety,  236 
within  a  ken,  222 
witnessed  usurpation,  174 
woe-begone,  174 
woman's  tailor,  214 
womb  (=  belly),  228 
Woncot,  242 
woo't,  190 
wrought  (form),  234 

yeaforsooth  knave,  180 
year  (plural),  215 
yeoman,  189 
yet  (transposed),  209 
you  (expletive),  216 

zeal  of  God,  225 


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